CCHIT to launch Preliminary ARRA Certification program next month
While the ONCHIT Advisory Committees continue to work on defining "meaningful use," the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) plans to launch a new certification program for electronic health records systems based on the new requirements for such systems to qualify for incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
On October 7, 2009, CCHIT will "offer a modular certification program called Preliminary ARRA 2011 that is limited to the standards for qualifying EHR technology under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)."
More from the CCHIT press release:
The Commission has followed and analyzed the emerging recommendations of the health information technology advisory committees to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), and believes there is sufficient information to offer the preliminary ARRA certification now.
HHS criteria and standards are expected to be published by the end of 2009. Final rules on Meaningful Use are expected later in the Spring of 2010. If that process results in the introduction of new requirements, the Commission will offer vendors with preliminary certifications an incremental inspection at no additional fee to bring their certifications into alignment with the final rules. The Commission’s certification materials including criteria, test scripts and certification policies for both programs will be published at http://cchit.org on September 24. Applications for certification will open online on October 7.
"Certification Commission Launching 2011 Certification Programs In October," CCHIT press release (September 8, 2009).
"Federal committees to continue work on meaningful use," Healthcare IT News (September 11, 2009).
