Certification Commission Receives Large Number of Applications for Final 2007 Certification

CHICAGO – April 9, 2008 – The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®) announced that it received 27 additional applications from ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) vendors as the deadline for certification under the 2007 criteria approached.  This final group included 14 new applicants as well as 13 vendors with products previously certified under the 2006 criteria. 

In addition, 4 new inpatient certification applications were received which could bring the total number of certified inpatient product vendors to more than 50 percent of the estimated U.S. market. That would represent a first-year vendor acceptance rate even higher than that achieved in the first year of ambulatory product certification.

“The last-minute rush confirms for us that vendors see significant market impact from certification,” said Mark Leavitt, MD, PhD, Certification Commission chairman.  “Fortunately, our program staff anticipated this possibility, so they still expect to complete all certifications by July 1.”

Interoperability testing and other pilot test news

The LAIKA interoperability testing tool, developed in partnership with the MITRE Corporation, was released on time, and has already been put into service to support testing during the ambulatory EHR pilots.  The testing software, developed under an open source license making free and publicly available, will be used by the Certification Commission on a secure platform during the inspection of a product’s compliance. More information is available at www.projectlaika.org.

“LAIKA is taking our interoperability testing to a new level,” said Leavitt, “The tool is so robust that it quickly illuminates any misunderstandings or ambiguities in the implementation of standards.  Ultimately it will help us make interoperability not just a buzzword, but a practical reality in everyday patient care.”

Other aspects of the pilot test are still under way, and the list of participating vendors will be announced when all pilot tests are completed.  Although the final comment period will not open until April 17, HIT vendors can get a head start reviewing the latest versions of the Test Scripts being used in the pilot tests at cchit.org/participate/public-comment/. 

Additional dates for the 2008 certification program

The Commission announced these additional dates for the 2008 certification development program:

  • Ambulatory EHR:  The proposed final criteria and test scripts will be published by April 17 at the URL listed above. Final public comments will be taken through April 30. The Commission will only accept comments on changes made since the previous draft was published.  The final ambulatory criteria and test scripts for 2008 will be published May 20, following approval from the Board of Commissioners.  Applications for certification under 2008 ambulatory EHR criteria will be accepted July 1 through 14 with the first 2008 certified products announced together in mid-October.  Application for endorsements in Child Health and Cardiovascular Medicine are on the same schedule as Ambulatory.
  • Inpatient and Emergency Department EHRs:  Additional pilot testing and refinement is being performed before the proposed final criteria and test scripts can be published.  Milestone dates will be announced as soon as they are available.
  • Enterprise EHR:  Vendors that have certified products in all three domains -- ambulatory, inpatient, and emergency department --  can apply for Enterprise certification by demonstrating interoperability between those systems.  The Test Script for Enterprise certification will be published and comments received on the same schedule as Inpatient and Emergency Department.
  • Network (health information exchange): The first network test scripts will be available for public comment from April 17 through May 16. The criteria and test scripts will be published for comment at the URL listed above. The Commission invites interested health information exchanges to apply for participation in the network certification pilots during the application period from April 21 through May 9. The application form will be available at cchit.org/pilot.  The network certification program is planned for launch in October.

Vendor education program

The Commission is again offering online seminars beginning in May to help guide electronic health record (EHR) product certification applicants through the process, using 2008 certification criteria. The program is designed for those individuals or teams charged with leading their organization’s product certification initiative. Participants may include project managers, product development managers, product marketing managers, clinical informaticists and health information managers; past attendees have rated these sessions as highly useful.

A three-part Web seminar will be held on May 27, 28, and 29. Applicants may register online at cchit.org/education from April 24 through May 22. Further information about content, fees and schedule is available there.

 

About CCHIT

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®) is an independent, nonprofit organization that has been recognized by the federal government as an official certification body for electronic health record products. Its mission is to accelerate the adoption of health information technology by creating a credible, sustainable product certification program. The certification requirements are based on widely accepted industry standards and involve the work of hundreds of expert volunteers and input from a variety of stakeholders throughout the health care industry. More information on CCHIT and CCHIT Certified® products is available at www.cchit.org.