The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) has granted full accreditation status to two beta test participants, Alpha II, LLC and FIGmd, Inc., for its Data Registry Accreditation Program (DRAP).
EHNAC, which is a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body, developed the DRAP program to review data registries in the areas of privacy, security, mandated standards and key operational functions and serves as a baseline standard to ensure compliance with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements and guidelines.
According to EHNAC, the DRAP Program “ensures data registries meet the privacy and security obligations expected of all large-scale handlers of protected health information (PHI).”
CMS mandated use of Qualified Data Registries to report Clinical Quality Measures (CQMs) associated with electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use program, the Physician Quality Reporting System and other CMS programs. The DRAP program is designed for data registries that provide those service to stakeholders which can include health information exchanges (HIEs), regional extension centers (RECs) as well as other healthcare providers, healthcare payers, CMS and other government and state entities.
Alpha II, LLC and FIGmd, Inc. were the first to undergo evaluation on their compliance with the criteria and receive full accreditation status for the two-year timeframe.
“We’re confident that the need for registries by institutional and professional providers, specialists and their trade associations, healthcare payers, federal and state governments will explode in the years ahead,” Lee Barrett, executive director of EHNAC, said in a statement “To coincide with that, it is imperative to determine that the registries that are being chosen to use have the necessary protections in place to handle the many privacy and security challenges that they will face. When it comes to health data privacy and security, the risks are much too high to assume that everything is up to par – it is much better to ensure it is on the frontend by using an accredited entity that has been reviewed by a third-party.”
“Being one of the first organizations to become accredited for EHNAC’s Data Registry program and participating on the development committee was an important experience for Alpha II, as it allowed us to play an integral role in not only shaping of the program itself but also preparing the initial criteria,” Jan Powell, CEO of Alpha II, said. “We’ve already been EHNAC accredited for HNAP-EHN, so it made perfect sense that we demonstrate our continued commitment to the highest standards in data privacy, security and compliance with our newest product – Alpha II PQRS Registry.”
Sanket Baralay, president and CEO of FIGmd, said, “As an increasing number of customers rely on our registry platform as their solution of choice for launching and scaling clinical registries, it was important to us that we showcase our commitment to the highest levels of data security and protection. This EHNAC accreditation was a tremendous accomplishment for our organization, and we see it as a way to ensure trust in the marketplace.”
