Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Ensures Adherence to Data Processing Standards and Compliance with Security Infrastructure, Integrity and Trusted Identity Requirements
IdenTrust® (Part of HID Global®, a worldwide leader in secure identity solutions), announced today it has achieved full 
accreditation with the Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program (DTAAP) for CA and RA from DirectTrust and the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC). Direct Trusted Agent accreditation recognizes excellence in health data processing and transactions and ensures compliance with industry-established standards, HIPAA regulations and the Direct Project.
Through the consultative review process, EHNAC evaluated IdenTrust in areas of privacy, security and confidentiality; technical performance; business practices and organizational resources as it relates to Directed exchange participants. In addition, EHNAC reviewed the organization’s process of managing and transferring protected health information and determined that the organization meets or exceeds all EHNAC criteria and industry standards. Through completion of the rigorous accreditation process, the organization demonstrates to its constituents adherence to strict standards and participation in the comprehensive, objective evaluation of its business.
“Endorsed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program ensures that organizations like IdenTrust establish and uphold a superior level of trust for their stakeholders,” said Lee Barrett, executive director of EHNAC. “The need in the marketplace for guidance and accountability in health information exchange is undeniable, and we applaud the IdenTrust commitment to the highest standards in privacy, security and confidentiality.”
“We’re very proud to have IdenTrust join the DirectTrust community of secure networks for Health Information Exchange,” said Dr. David C. Kibbe, President and CEO of DirectTrust. “IdenTrust is well known for its identity assurance and management capability and products, and having these available within the healthcare industry in support of secure, interoperable data sharing via the Direct protocol is a major advance. Stronger security in health requires strong identity validation, and with IdenTrust the exchange communities gain the availability of a company with integrity, experience, and excellent value.”
Electronic health information exchange (HIE) allows doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other healthcare providers and patients to securely access and share a patient’s vital medical information electronically – improving the speed, quality, safety, and cost of patient care. IdenTrust provides a validated identity stored electronically in a digital certificate, which can be used by a wide variety of applications to implement strong security and maintain compliance. Many healthcare customers currently use IdenTrust credentials to submit Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances (EPCS). The accreditation of IdenTrust with DTAAP as both a Certificate Authority and a Registration Authority is a crucial element in enabling an HIE to provide healthcare customers with the required level of security and associated services.
“With the ability to provide digital certificates that are accredited by DirectTrust, IdenTrust can help Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) provide highly secure services to their customers,” said Karen Wendel, President and CEO of IdenTrust. “These services also allow HIEs to demonstrate compliance with applicable regulations. IdenTrust digital certificates are also cross-certified with the US Government Federal Bridge Certification Authority, allowing HIE messages to be relied upon by US Government agencies. We appreciate the organization and support provided by EHNAC in enabling IdenTrust to achieve DTAAP accreditation in a timely manner.”
