<p>The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has released a guide for general practices to verify that their secure messaging service complies with the requirements of the eHealth Practice Incentive Program (ePIP), due on February 1.</p><p>The guidelines also contain advice for secure messaging companies and for IT support companies or Medicare Locals on the steps they need to go through to ensure that an SMD-compliant secure messaging product also complies with the ePIP requirement.</p><p>For general practices, the guidelines state that practices must first obtain a Healthcare Provider Identifier Organisation (HPO) before selecting a standards-compliant product from NEHTA's ePIP product register or checking to see if the product used is listed as compliant.</p><p>Practices must also obtain a NASH PKI digital certificate for HPOs (previously known as the Department of Human Services' eHealth record organisation PKI certificate), which is the authentication mechanism to access a patient's PCEHR and was given approval as the same for secure messaging in late November.</p><p><a href="http://www.pulseitmagazine.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1262:guideline-to-secure-messaging-requirements-for-epip&catid=16:australian-ehealth&Itemid=327">Keep reading...</a></p>