From the opinion: "While the federal government's efforts to advance HIE are wide-ranging, they are not without debate. Some stakeholders suggest that the Stage 2 meaningful use and 2014 EHR standards and certification proposed rules' focus on directed exchange does not adequately support achievement of more robust query-response model HIE, especially given that many communities and states are developing the infrastructure to support such exchange under HITECH and independently.
Other stakeholders point out that the directed exchange model advanced by the proposed rules provides a more realistic near-term on-ramp for health care providers to exchange information and will enable more health care providers to achieve meaningful use. These stakeholders also note that the Direct Project's exchange standards can be used for more than secure email, a common criticism.
