CCHIT launches EHR cert program for hospitals
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) has launched a new EHR certification program for hospitals, the EHR Alternative Certification for Hospitals (EACH), an ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) 2011/2012 certification program for installed hospital EHR technology.
The EACH program is based on required ONC criteria andNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) test procedures and tools, according to CCHIT. It offers:
Hospitals participating in the pilot program are Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, and Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Calif.
Alternative certification is not needed if a hospital has adopted an EHR with complete certification, or a combination of certified EHR modules that meet all of the 2011/2012 certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the meaningful use objectives established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
CCHIT developed a similar program for physicians and ambulatory providers that have self-developed EHR technology, which will be launched in the second quarter of this year, according to the Chicago-based organization. These systems must be certified for hospitals and providers to qualify for financial incentives through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and avoid Medicare penalties.
More information and online tools for applying for EACH certification is available at http://each.cchit.org.
The EACH program is based on required ONC criteria andNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) test procedures and tools, according to CCHIT. It offers:
- A series of self-paced, online learning programs designed to prepare EACH program applicants for testing and certification.
- Online inventory and self-assessment tools developed to help hospitals evaluate how their installed EHR technology measures up to ONC’s criteria and standards.
- Additional hands-on support provided by CCHIT’s EACH program staff and access to an online community of other hospitals participating in the EACH program.
Hospitals participating in the pilot program are Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, and Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Calif.
Alternative certification is not needed if a hospital has adopted an EHR with complete certification, or a combination of certified EHR modules that meet all of the 2011/2012 certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the meaningful use objectives established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
CCHIT developed a similar program for physicians and ambulatory providers that have self-developed EHR technology, which will be launched in the second quarter of this year, according to the Chicago-based organization. These systems must be certified for hospitals and providers to qualify for financial incentives through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and avoid Medicare penalties.
More information and online tools for applying for EACH certification is available at http://each.cchit.org.