The Virgin Islands Department of Health will host a series of web-based seminars on secure data exchange for healthcare providers, the department announced.

The series will be conducted by the department's Division of Health Information Technology, which is responsible for implementing the Territory’s Health Information Exchange.

The five part series will begin at 9 a.m. July 17 and will be held biweekly through September 11. The hour-long series will provide training to healthcare providers on how to begin using Direct, a nationally recognized standard for secure exchange of health information that provides a simple, secure and standards-based method for electronic exchange of health information among healthcare providers, according to HIT Director Kevin Hodge.

Secure Exchange Solutions, a certified Health Information Service Provider that is providing the exchange solution for the Virgin Islands, will co-host the series.

Hodge said the Direct methodology “ultimately saves money and improves quality of care and patient care coordination and is particularly accommodating to those providers without the resources or technical capacity to engage in more complicated and expensive methods of health information exchange.”

Acting Commissioner Darice Plaskett is urging all health care providers to take advantage of this free online seminar series.

The department expects to launch its Direct-based Health Information Exchange project by year’s end, she said, and the five sessions will help healthcare providers in the territory get ready for it.

Healthcare providers can register by calling the Department of Health at 773-1311, extension 3009, or going online at www.healthvi.org and downloading an application. Completed applications can be faxed to 718-3179. A limited number of seats are available for people who wish to participate but do not have Internet or telephone access.

The schedule follows.

Each session will be one hour long, and begin at 9 a.m.

July 17 – Direct 101: Overview of nationally recognized methodology of Direct

July 31 – Direct Live!: Learn how Direct is being used live in provider settings, hospitals, labs and more.

Aug. 14 – Direct and Your Practice Workflow: Integrating Direct into current workflows and systems.

Aug. 28 – Using Direct for ehavioral Health and Immunization Reporting: Understand how Direct can improve outcomes.

Sept. 11 – Get Started!: Signing up and using Direct.