No, I *do* "get it". I work as a contractor for a large healthcare provider here in Illinois.
The NHIN is an outreach program similar to HSIN. I am involved in IT, control systems (SCADA), energy, transportation, and food. Look me up on Amazon.
I'm published on many of these topics:
here...http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Infrastructure-Homeland-Emergency-Preparedness/dp/0849373980
here...http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Infrastructure-Homeland-Emergency-Preparedness/dp/1420095277
and, here...http://www.amazon.com/Transportation-Systems-Security-Allan-McDougall/dp/1420063782
Oh, and BTW, I had access to ARPANet long before most people had access to "The Intenet". I have been in IT since 1978. Many people don't know where "bootstrap" came from -- I *do*. 
Back to NHIN...
There are many "subnet'd private networks" that exist out there. SIPRNET and NIPRNET are prime examples of this. NHIN is (probably) an extension of HSIN. Currently DHS is doing some "cleaning house" on their network. Maybe I need to call some of my contacts within DHS and ask...
-rad
P.S. Smile...I'm on *your* side... ;)))
ยทยทยท
----- Original Message -----
From: fred trotter [mailto:fred.trotter(a)gmail.com]
To: Bob Radvanovsky [mailto:rsradvan(a)unixworks.net]
Cc: "Masonis, Travis M" [mailto:tmasonis(a)noyes-hospital.org], users(a)lists.djigzo.com
Subject: Re: Regarding NHIN Direct
To Bob and Travis,
Ummm.. You guys do not get it.
The United States Government started the Internet by bringing up a core
network and then giving access to that core to academia and industry.
Eventually this morphed into the Internet. This was the transition from the
Arpanet -> Internet.Based on that model, the Us Govt is starting a core health information
exchange network called the NHIN, or National Health Information Network. As
before they will allow private citizens to connect to this core network. The
data of every veteran treated in the VA, (which is the largest single health
data system in the United States) will be available from the NHIN. This will
incent others to hook up and begin exchanging health information.Obviously, this new network will simply be a secured network running over
the regular Internet.What makes this a "new" network is that it will run on two different
protocols, one is IHE is an is too complex to even get into here, the other
is a secure SMTP standard developed with the NHIN Direct project. The -only-
parts of the NHIN Exchange (the running network) Will either be the NHIN
CONNECT (an open source implementation of IHE) compatible IHE -or- a secure
SMTP configuration compatible with two open source prototypes that the NHIN
Direct project (where I am a contributor).ARRA, the massive stimulus fund to encourage EHR adoption eventually
requires that doctors exhchange information and only via the SMTP in NHIN
Direct or the IHE in NHIN CONNECT.In a few years, most doctors and thousands of other healthcare workers in
the United States will be using the secure emails. From the perspective of
ONC, this is the official replacement of the fax machine.So it is not a question of "if you can use the SMTP system in a HIPPA
compliant way?" the only question will be "Is Djigzo a NHIN Direct
compatible Secure SMTP implementation?" if it is then I would expect that it
would be a very popular product. I am willing to help make it that way, but
I do not want to waste my time... which is why I am so pleased by what
Martjin is saying....-FT
On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 12:41 PM, Bob Radvanovsky > <rsradvan(a)unixworks.net>wrote:
> We are already utilizing this to send encrypted messages for sensitive
> information to federal government facilities. It works, and complies with
> federal FISMA regulations, which works with us and our clients in
> Washington, D.C.
>
> However...
>
> As we also perform work for a client within the Healthcare sector, I
> checked with their information security department, and the verbiage
states
> "reasonable security measures be taken" under the provisioning of HIPAA.
> Essentially, you *could* utilize this program for ePHI file/data
transfers,
> but I would *not* recommend it, due to the legal implications of ePHI
being
> leaked or intercepted during transmission.
>
> Just my thoughts...
>
> Bob Radvanovsky, CIFI, CISM, REM, CIPS
> Infracritical, Inc. - "Your Infrastructure, Their Future"
> rsradvan(a)unixworks.net | rsradvan(a)infracritical.com |
> bob(a)infracritical.com
> (630) 673-7740 | (412) 774-0373 (facsimile)
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Masonis, Travis M" [mailto:tmasonis(a)noyes-hospital.org]
> To: users(a)lists.djigzo.com
> Subject: Re: Regarding NHIN Direct
>
>
> > This subject is relevant to my interests and uses for the product also.
> > I think there is enormous potential for this product in the healthcare
> > arena.
> >
> > Travis Masonis
> > CCNA, CCDA, MCSE, CEH, Security+
> > Director, IT Infrastructure
> > Noyes Memorial Hospital
> >
> _______________________________________________
> Users mailing list
> Users(a)lists.djigzo.com
> http://lists.djigzo.com/lists/listinfo/users
>--
Fred Trotter
http://www.fredtrotter.com