CHICAGO – July 18, 2012 – The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) announced today that it has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a certification body for the Permanent Certification Program for Health Information Technology. In addition, CCHIT has been accredited by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to test electronic health record (EHR) technology.
“ANSI accreditation is a major step toward becoming an ONC authorized certification body under the final rule of the Permanent Certification Program, which was issued in January 2011,” said Alisa Ray, executive director, CCHIT.
The Permanent Certification Program separates the testing and certifying of EHRs. Organizations must apply to ONC to become an authorized certification body (ONC-ACB) following ANSI accreditation. NVLAP has been acknowledged by ONC, by regulation, as the Accreditation Body for Accredited Testing Laboratories (ATLs) in the Permanent Certification Program. Developers first test their EHR technology with an ATL, and if their product meets the requirements, they will work with an ONC-ACB to certify the product. CCHIT will both apply to ONC for authorization as an ONC-ACB and offer its separate test services to developers as an ATL.
“By both testing and certifying complete EHRs and EHR Modules, CCHIT will be able to provide ‘one-stop’ services for EHR developers,” said Ray. “We currently are readying our new programs to include the ONC 2014 edition of criteria. We will endeavor to open that program as quickly as possible after ONC issues the final rule and test procedures. We are also building adequate capacity in order to meet developers’ needs. We continue operating the ONC 2011 edition of the Temporary Program as an ONC-ATCB until new authorization is granted.”
CCHIT, as an ONC Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB), has tested and certified 703 EHR products under the Temporary Certification Program, making it the ONC-ATCB most frequently selected by developers. The Temporary Program remains in effect until the Permanent Certification Program is in place.
Meaningful use of certified EHR technology is a requirement for eligible health care providers who seek to qualify to receive Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments as authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
About CCHIT
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the public mission of accelerating the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology. The Commission has been certifying electronic health record technology since 2006 and is approved by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB). More information on CCHIT, CCHIT Certified® products and ONC-ATCB certified electronic health record technology is available at http://cchit.org.
“CCHIT®” and “CCHIT Certified®” are registered trademarks of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.
