ONC unveils product certification mark
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) unveiled its new mark for certified EHR technology. The mark will appear on EHR products that have been certified by an ONC-Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB) and will indicate that the product meets the 2014 Edition Standards and Certification Criteria.
“We’ve reached the tipping point of doctors adopting EHR systems and using them to improve patient care,” said Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, national coordinator for health IT, in a release. “The use of the ONC Certified HIT mark will help to assure them that the EHR they have purchased will support them in meeting the Meaningful Use requirements.”
EHR technology may be certified by one of four ONC-ACBs accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and authorized by ONC. The mark is a visual cue that the product—whether a complete EHR, an EHR module or another type of health IT product—meets ONC’s applicable certification criteria and can achieve interoperability, functionality and security. For example, the criteria include such requirements as computerized provider order entry, drug to drug and drug-allergy checks, and the capability to coordinate clinical information to help improve the quality of patient care, among others.
When the mark is associated with a certified "Complete EHR" it means that the EHR technology can be used without modification to achieve Meaningful Use. A certified EHR module may be combined with other modules to make a complete system.
ONC-ACBs will begin to issue the mark to certified EHR products on immediately.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.