Wednesday, July 1, 2009

CCHIT Unveils New Paths to Certification


Is your electronic health record (EHR) system certified by the CCHIT?

The CCHIT (Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology) now offers three different certification approaches to replace the current single one. According to Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., Commission chair, “The rate of EHR adoption must now be tripled to meet the ambitious ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) timelines, so we’re broadening access to certification, widening our previous single-lane road to the equivalent of a three-lane freeway... We need to serve a more diverse spectrum of providers and offer a wider range of EHR technology options from which to choose.”

The three different approaches are:
  • A rigorous certification for comprehensive EHR systems that significantly exceed minimum Federal standards requirements. This certification (EHR-C) would be targeted to the needs of providers who want maximal assurance of EHR capabilities and compliance
  • A new, modular certification program for electronic prescribing, personal health records, registries, and other technologies. Focusing on basic compliance with Federal standards and security, the EHR-M program would be offered at lower cost, and could accommodate a wide variety of specialties, settings, and technologies. It would appeal to providers who prefer to combine technologies from multiple certified sources.
  • A simplified, low cost site-level certification. This program would enable providers who self-develop or assemble EHRs from noncertified sources to also qualify for the ARRA incentives.
Development of the new certification options is scheduled to begin in this month (July).

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