ONC Authorizes CCHIT to Certify EHRs for 2014

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) recently announced that it has been authorized by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to certify EHRs for the ONC HIT Certification Program, 2014 Edition. CCHIT’s new ONC 2014 program is open now and accepting applications for testing and certification.

In addition, the American National Standards Institute and the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology have extended CCHIT’s scope of accreditation to include both the ONC 2011 and 2014 Edition programs.

Developers first test their EHR technology with an Accredited Testing Laboratory (ATL), and if their product meets the requirements as a Complete EHR or EHR Module, they apply to an Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB) to certify the product. CCHIT is both an ATL and an ONC-ACB, and its testing and certification services now include the new ONC 2014 Edition criteria.  EHR technology developers may apply immediately for the new program at The Source.

“We have updated our test procedures and certification materials to align with the ONC 2014 program criteria,” said Alisa Ray, executive director and CEO of CCHIT. “We’ve also updated our online client portal, The Source, and added features that support the 2014 Edition in order to allow our clients to manage testing and certification, and product updates in one place. We have the capacity to begin work immediately with any organization that believes they are ready for the new program.”

CCHIT’s testing and certification services include the new ONC 2014 Edition criteria as described in the Health Information Technology: Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology, 2014 Edition; Revisions to the Permanent Certification Program for Health Information Technology published on September 4, 2012, and the ONC test procedures and tools approved on December 14, 2012, and available at http://www.healthit.gov/policy-researchers-implementers/2014-edition-final-test-method.

Source: Certification Commission for Health Information Technology