ONC proposes 2015 CEHRT criteria

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has issued proposals for the 2015 edition of EHR certification criteria.

This is the first time ONC is proposing certification criteria separate from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Meaningful Use regulations, according to a release, which signals the agency's new regulatory approach of more incremental and frequent rulemaking. This will enable ONC to update certification criteria more frequently to reference improved standards, officials say, and allow for regulatory clarity, with more comments solicited on potential proposals.

"The proposed 2015 Edition EHR certification criteria reflect ONC's commitment to incrementally improving interoperability and efficiently responding to stakeholder feedback," said National Coordinator Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, in a statement. "We will continue to focus on setting policy and adopting standards that make it possible for healthcare providers to safely and securely exchange electronic health information and for patients to become an integral part of their care team."

The proposal includes voluntary compliance for the 2015 edition and EHRs already certified to the 2014 edition would not have to re-certify to the 2015 edition in order for customers to participate in Meaningful Use, according to ONC.

Likewise, those providers eligible to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs would not need to upgrade to 2015 edition criteria to have systems that meet the definition of certified EHRs.

"This provides the opportunity for developers and healthcare providers to move to the 2015 edition on their own terms and at their own pace," said DeSalvo.

The proposed rule will be published in the Feb. 26 Federal Register and ONC will accept comments through April 28 before the final rule is issued this summer.