Having your own Direct address is just around the corner!

What exactly are Direct addresses useful for? Direct messaging is a way to securely send health information. Direct can be used in a way that is HIPAA-compliant, it's simple to use, and it has security features that will ensure orders, electronic health records, and other protected health information are transmitted by the person who they say they are and can't be tampered with by malicious users. Not only that, but EMR Direct enables access to a nationwide Direct Directory of Covered Entities, included with our service which is available through many partners' EMR Direct integrations or on our website through phiMail Web. Providers with a Direct account are ready to send or receive referrals as digital structured content to and from other points of care, making transmitted documents much more useful than faxing, and once you have an address it's easy to add your Direct address to NPPES to meet CMS's Digital Contact Information requirement.

Identify verification is crucial to obtaining a Direct address. The person enrolling their organization must complete identity verification to support the security and trust-in-identity of the network to ensure that sensitive patient health information is protected; identity verification of end users is also required and is usually performed by the applicant organization themselves. The representative either mails a notarized form to EMR Direct or verifies their identity remotely. If your Organizational Representative requests remote proofing, EMR Direct sends an invitation by email with a link that is valid for seven days.

In order to be successfully verified remotely, you are required to have an active PayPal account in your legal name. If you do not yet have one, it can be created on the PayPal site before beginning the remote proofing process; the account is used only to confirm your identity.

At the moment you sign in to PayPal from the phiCert ID Verify site, with your permission some of your personal information is shared with EMR Direct to help verify your identity. At the same time, a verification code is sent to the primary email address registered to your PayPal account in order to verify that email address. The ID Verify site then asks for the code that was just emailed, along with other identity information that is specific to you, including your personal home address. Please don't use an office address, as this will not be sufficient to verify your individual identity.

If the verification code is not received, we recommend checking your spam folder and confirming your primary PayPal email address via the PayPal website (in case it is an email address you use less frequently or can't access anymore). The verification code is valid for ten minutes, so the process will need to be re-started from the original invitation link if the code expires or if the primary PayPal email address is modified, since that requires a new verification code to be sent to the new email address.

If Remote Identity Verification is unsuccessful, EMR Direct will notify the Organizational Representative (at your EHR or software vendor, for integrated service) and an original notarized identity verification form can be submitted by mail to EMR Direct instead. As with remote proofing, your home address of residence MUST be used. The original notarized form needs to be mailed in to the address listed on the form; if sent by UPS or FedEx, then the following street address can be used instead:

EMR Direct Registrar
16870 West Bernardo Drive, Suite 400
San Diego, CA 92127
Telephone number for delivery contact by courier: (858) 367-0770

The Organizational Representative is notified when the Direct certificate has been issued and is ready for use.

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