Certification Commission Makes EHR Certification More Accessible

CHICAGO – June 18, 2009 – With the goal of supporting more rapid, widespread adoption and meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology by physicians and hospitals eligible to receive funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) has unveiled three certification approaches to replace the current single one. The Commission held two town hall style Web meetings to gather stakeholder input on its proposed new paths to certification of electronic health record (EHR) technologies. They 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.

The Commission shared its planned timing for offering these new paths to certification later this year, subject to finalization of the meaningful use objectives and measures by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“The rate of EHR adoption must now be tripled to meet the ambitious ARRA timelines, so we’re broadening access to certification, widening our previous single-lane road to the equivalent of a three-lane freeway,” said Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., Commission chair. “We need to serve a more diverse spectrum of providers and offer a wider range of EHR technology options from which to choose.”

More than 800 people participated in two Town Call Web conferences this week designed to gather feedback on the new certification options. The first conference was directed to the open source community, while the second was designed for a general audience. In real-time polling conducted during both sessions, 70 percent of respondents expressed a very favorable or favorable reaction to the plan. Development of the new certification options is scheduled to begin in July.

The Web conference presentations are available at http://cchit.org/towncalls

About CCHIT

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®) is a private, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that has been recognized by the federal government as an official certification body for electronic health records. Its mission is to accelerate the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology by creating a credible, efficient certification process. 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, http://ehrdecisions.com and http://phrdecisions.com.

“CCHIT®” and “CCHIT Certified®” are registered trademarks of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.