HITPC: ONC spotlight on HIT safety, 2015 certification criteria

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s (ONC’s) latest activities revolve around health IT safety, health information exchange (HIE) governance and the upcoming 2015 edition certification criteria. Jodi Daniel, JD, MPH, director of ONC's Office of Policy and Planning, explored these issues and more at the Health IT Policy Committee on Jan. 14.

In the realm of patient safety, Daniel said that ONC posted a guide and slide deck to help vendors and providers examine both health IT-related safety issues and risks that emerge when systems are implemented.

Also, she said ONC’s SAFER guides--released on Jan. 15--include risk assessment tools developed using the latest evidence of health IT patient safety, which will help providers assess safety and safe use of EHRs in critical areas and support collaboration to optimize safety of EHRs.

The topic of the 2015 edition of certification criteria, which will improve on the 2014 edition with updated standards and implementation guides, also was discussed at length.  

“This represents a new approach for ONC,” she said, noting it’s a departure from the agency’s previous practice of tying the release of certification criteria to the Meaningful Use rule.

The voluntary criteria, when published, will give vendors a chance to know ONC’s latest thinking, but those already certified to the 2014 edition will not need to recertify. “We thought it was helpful to be more responsive as technology is developing more quickly than we can regulate.”

Daniel also reported that:

• ONC-Authorized Certification Bodies (ACBs) submitted their annual surveillance plans for calendar year 2014 and began conducting surveillance of certified EHR technology (CEHRT) in accordance with those plans this month.
• ONC issued guidance clarifying that ONC-ACB’s authorized surveillance of CEHRT qualifies as a “health oversight activity” under HIPAA.

Daniel shared with the committee experiences at the National HIE Governance Forum. The forum brought together approximately 30 entities, which explored identity management, trust frameworks and a preliminary HIE certification and accreditation landscape. A final report culminating from that forum and related resources have been published, she said.

In other news, final rules promulgated by the Office of the Inspector General and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services extend the exception until Dec. 31, 2021, Daniel said.