The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) announced that it has approved final 2009-2010 criteria for certification of ambulatory, inpatient, and emergency department electronic health records and for its newly developed stand-alone electronic prescribing certification. CCHIT also approved updated criteria for the ambulatory add-on options in child health and cardiovascular medicine. Besides the detailed criteria and test scripts, the Commission will publish a companion guide mapping the criteria to the characteristics of a qualified EHR as described in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The materials will be published on May 29 on the CCHIT web site.
The Certification Handbook, containing the policies of CCHIT's certification programs, is undergoing a significant revision to take into account the expanded applicability of EHR certification under ARRA. Changes will include a more extensive verification of successful implementation and use of commercial products, as well as the pilot of a new program to inspect and certify EHR technologies in use. CCHIT will release the updated handbook and announce further application details for 2009-2010 certifications during June or July.
