ONC Announces EHR Certification Details

Providers Must Use Certified EHR Products to Qualify for Meaningful Use Incentives

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) last month announced a notice of proposed rulemaking for a national certification process for EHR systems. The announcement marks another important step in fulfilling the government’s vision for widespread health information technology adoption as mandated by the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

Under HITECH, eligible providers who plan to participate in either the Medicare or Medicaid incentive programs in 2011 must show meaningful use of a “certified” EHR. The certification program was included as part of the HITECH legislation so that providers and patients are confident that EHR products are secure, can maintain data confidentially, can work with other systems to share information, and can perform a set of well-defined functions.

“While we are making significant strides toward modernizing our health care system, these efforts will only succeed if providers and patients are confident that their health information systems are safe, secure, and meet standard functionality requirements,” said National Coordinator for Health Information Technology David Blumenthal. “This isn’t just about meaningful use; at its core, it is about providing assurances to patients and providers that EHR technology can deliver the benefits of improved quality of care and protect personal health information.”

Certification is voluntary for EHR vendors, and a two step process has been proposed by ONC. The first step will be a temporary bridge until more permanent guidelines and regulations can be implemented. The temporary stage is important, as it will allow for providers to show meaningful use of a certified system, thereby furthering meaningful use adoption efforts.  The permanent certification process proposed in the rule “establishes detailed guidelines to support an ongoing program of testing and certification of health IT”.

The proposed rule also establishes steps for organizations to become government sanctioned testing organizations. Prior to HITECH, the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology was the only EHR certifying body in the industry. While CCHIT has announced its intentions to apply to become an ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB), it will now be one of many government sanctioned certifying organizations that will use new testing criteria from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Nuesoft plans to meet all certification requirements for HITECH funding.

For more information about the certification criteria, visit the ONC Web site and blog.