Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) Policies and Process

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) is governed by a 19-member Board of Commissioners hailing from academia, the private sector, nonprofit organizations and government agencies. The Board oversees the work of CCHIT’s professional staff and voluntary workgroups. The roles of the Commissioners are to represent all stakeholders, provide strategic direction, ensure objectivity and credibility, provide guidance to and review the reports of the Work Groups, and approve the final certification criteria and processes.

The Commission is made up of at least two representatives each from the provider, payer, and vendor stakeholder groups, and at least one from seven other stakeholder groups, including safety net providers, health care consumers, public health agencies, quality improvement organizations, clinical researchers, standards development and informatics experts and government agencies. The Commissioners serve staggered two-year terms. Nominations open in the summer and are submitted to the Commission by a joint Nominating Committee made up of internal and external members.

The products of the Commission are created by its five volunteer Work Groups, each with two co-chairs from different stakeholder groups and approximately twelve to fourteen members representing the diversity of stakeholders. Public calls for Work Group volunteers occur annually. Work Group members are selected by the Commission for their individual expertise. The Work Groups focus on developing criteria – including HIT product functionality, interoperability and security – and an inspection process by which products can be judged to be certified.

The Commission and its Work Groups strive for transparency, communicating the progress of its work frequently. Minutes of all meetings are published on CCHIT’s Web site. Work Group products are published for public comment after each step. All comments are reviewed and the responses are published.