Direct Protocol May Favor Large Providers And Vendors

A medical group's call for allowing licensed physicians, without vendor interference, to designate any recipients or senders of messages using the Direct protocol puts a spotlight on nagging EHR interoperability issues.

If 2013 has taught us anything, it's that eventually, every area of healthcare IT becomes enmeshed in politics sooner or later.

This week, speculation is bubbling that the low-cost interoperability promised by the Direct protocol is the latest vehicle for the continuation of expensive, business-as-usual interfaces between different healthcare IT vendors' systems.

Evidence of this rising concern surfaced on December 7, when the Massachusetts Medical Society House of Delegates' Committee on Information Technology passed a resolution calling for "a more open, affordable process to meet technology mandates imposed by regulations and mandates."