August 19, 2009

Certification Follow-up

The HIT Policy Committee held its monthly meeting last Friday. Certification of electronic health records systems was again a topic of considerable discussion. There was some push-back on the marginalization of CCHIT that seemed to have been implied at the July meeting.
Here is my summary of the certification discussion: HHS certification of a system means that a user of such a certified system will qualify for ARRA incentives if the other criteria for Meaningful Use are met. The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) is expected to take the lead in accrediting organizations aiming to offer HHS certification. NIST is not expected to certify systems itself but will work with the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) to develop the process. The committee mentioned that the precise number of certification organizations has not been determined. All that is clear is that there will be one or more organizations involved.
My sense from listening to the discussion is that committee members have come to better appreciate the complexity of certification than was apparent during the July meeting. There was concern that use of multiple certifying bodies might create confusion about the certification process and criteria throughout the health IT industry.
The HIT Policy Committee indicates that it will rely on CCHIT for continuing advice in order to leverage existing certification work whenever possible in its advisory role to the ONC. The committee, however, seems committed to separating the development of criteria for certification from the actual testing process. Presumably this means that the HIT Policy Committee will take the lead in setting the timing and criteria for certification in the future.