Comment Period Open for Oncology, Women's Health EHR Certifications

The public comment period for the Chicago-based Certification Commission for Health Information Technology’s (CCHIT) first draft of certification criteria and test scripts for EHRs used in Oncology and Women's Health (obstetrics component) is open through Dec. 10, until 5 p.m. Central time. Comments will only be taken through the Commission’s Web site.

After review of the public comments, the Oncology and Women’s Health work groups will make any necessary adjustments to the certification criteria and test scripts. Pilot tests, conducted with volunteered vendor products, will be begin in February 2011, with the certification programs scheduled to launch later in the spring of 2011. Both new certifications are optional add-on certifications to the Commission’s CCHIT Certified 2011 Ambulatory EHR certification program launched in October 2009.

Oncology and Women’s Health are the latest domains to be added to CCHIT’s independently-developed certification programs and represent the Commission’s ongoing commitment to address the needs of specific medical specialties, care settings and patient populations. In addition to its Ambulatory and Inpatient EHR certification programs, CCHIT currently offers certification programs for Cardiovascular Medicine; Child Health; Emergency Departments; Behavioral Health; Dermatology; and Long-Term and Post-Acute Care. The Commission plans to launch a new program for EHRs used in Clinical Research in January 2011.