Electronic Health Records Certifiers Named by ONC
Drummond Group and CCHIT Announced as Certification Bodies
August 30, 2010
Yesterday, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that they have officially approved two certifying bodies to test and certify EHR technology.
The two companies - the Drummond Group, out of Austin, Texas; and the Certification Commission for Health IT (CCHIT) out of Chicago, Illinois - have been named ONC Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ONC-ATCB). This allows them to begin testing Electronic Health Records (EHR) vendors immediately to become certified EHR technology.
This marks an important step in the process for physicians to receive increased stimulus reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid as part of the HITECH Act of 2009, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) signed into law by President Obama in February of 2009. Eligible professionals are required to demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology. Meaningful Use has recently been finalized by HHS, along with the requirements for EHR vendors. Now, with testing bodies approved, certification can begin.
CCHIT has indicated that they will launch their program to begin ARRA/HHS certification on September 20, 2010. They will begin taking applications at that time. They have previously been offering a "preliminary ARRA" certification for companies, along with their proprietary certification programs, which include Meaningful Use requirements. As such, they will have a large backlog of vendors to certify.
The Drummond Group has indicated that they are ready to begin receiving applications right away, and has unofficially stated that they will likely begin actual testing within 2-3 weeks.
Both companies were required to undergo exhaustive testing by ONC. They were grilled on their knowledge of the law, the final rulings, and the EHR marketplace in general. Both companies also demonstrated their abilities to certify software companies, in compliance with the final ruling on certification. Both were deemed worthy of initial acceptance. Several other organizations have applied to become ONC-ATCBs, but none were immediately approved. It is speculated that this could be due to their inability to immediately demonstrate this same capacity, or it could be due to the timeframe in which they applied to ONC to become ONC-ATCBs.
Read the full HHS press release:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/08/20100830d.html
HHS.gov
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About ChartLogic, Inc.
Electronic Health Records...Better Patient Care since 1994. ChartLogic has helped thousands of practices make the transition from paper to digital medical offices. Guaranteed to meet "meaningful use" requirements, ChartLogic offers two comprehensive electronic health record suites that include electronic medical records, superior medical billing software, document management, and interactive patient education. ChartLogic helps physicians provide better patient care through better technology. For further information, visit www.chartlogic.com.
