information technology in health care

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About the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology
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Widespread adoption of health information technology (health IT) can
foster improvements in quality, safety, efficiency and access – key
goals in today’s national dialog on health reform.

These goals also drive the Certification Commission for Health
Information Technology (CCHIT®), a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization
with the public mission of accelerating the adoption of health IT.

A solid foundation for electronic health record technology

Founded in 2004, and certifying electronic health records (EHRs) since
2006, the Commission established the first comprehensive, practical
definition of what capabilities were needed in these systems. The
certification criteria were developed through a voluntary,
consensus-based process engaging diverse stakeholders, and the
Certification Commission was officially recognized by the federal
government as a certifying body.

Uptake by the health IT industry was rapid, with more than 200 EHR
products certified by mid-2009, representing over 75% of the
marketplace. Provider organizations endorsed the work as well. Based
on this broad acceptance, healthcare payers and purchasers in the
government and private sectors began offering incentives to providers
for adopting certified EHR technology.

In February 2009, Congress acknowledged the value of certification in
the language of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
aimed at stimulating the nation’s economy. The law offers a multi-year
series of incentive payments to providers and hospitals for the
meaningful use of certified EHR technology. The total amount of
payments has been projected by the Congressional Budget Office at $34
billion.

Readiness for the future: New paths to certification

Anticipating a massive response to the new incentives, CCHIT has
broadened access to certification, offering three paths to
certification instead of just one. The new paths are intended to bring
wider availability of EHR technologies, stimulate innovation, and
address the needs of providers and hospitals at varying stages of
technology adoption readiness. They are:

CCHIT Certified®, an independently developed certification that
 includes a rigorous inspection of an EHR’s integrated
 functionality, interoperability and security. Products that are
 CCHIT Certified® are tested against criteria developed by the
 Commission’s broadly representative, expert work groups. This
 program is intended to serve health care providers looking for
 maximal assurance that a product will meet their complex needs. As
 part of this independent evaluation, successful use is verified at
 live sites and product usability is rated.

Preliminary ARRA, a certification program that tests Complete EHRs
 or EHR Modules against the Meaningful Use Stage 1 certification
 criteria in the Interim Final Rule (IFR) issued by the Office of
 the National Coordinator (ONC), US Department of Health and Human
 Services (HHS) in January. The Preliminary ARRA program is
 designed to demonstrate that a vendor’s product is extremely well
 prepared to be certified once ONC-accredited testing and
 certification becomes available, but the final criteria and test
 procedures are not yet available, nor has CCHIT been accredited
 yet by ONC. When those events occur, CCHIT will replace the
 Preliminary ARRA program with a final, ONC-accredited ARRA
 certification program.

Products may be certified in one or both of these distinct but
complementary programs.

In addition to these product certifications, later this year, CCHIT
has plans to offer a Site certification - a simplified, low cost
certification for sites or organizations. Technology must meet minimum
federal standards requirements once they are finalized. This program
allows providers and hospitals who develop or assemble EHR
technologies themselves to qualify for ARRA incentives, offering an
open door to encourage continued innovation.

CCHIT -- a volunteer organization, now over 300 strong – looks forward
to addressing the new opportunities and challenges ahead.

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