CCHIT seeks comments about expansion, names new trustees
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) is considering expanding the scope of its certification programs.

The Chicago-based commission is soliciting ideas for adding new certification efforts for healthcare IT. Throughout December, a form will be available on the group’s website for submitting comments. Participants can provide information on the benefits of expanding certification into a new area, the readiness of that area for certification and an estimate of the effort required to develop certification in that area.

CCHIT now certifies inpatient and ambulatory EHR systems, health information exchanges (HIEs) and emergency department EHRs. It also enables EHR vendors to demonstrate additional capabilities to serve child health and cardiovascular medicine.

Also, the commission has formed a new group that will identify criteria for certifying stand-alone e-prescribing systems. Co chairs are: Adrienne Cyrulik, program manager, e-health innovation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and David Kates, vice president (VP) of product management at Prematics of Vienna, Va.

The commission also has named three more members to its board of trustees, which has fiduciary responsibility for the not-for-profit organization. The trustees, who will serve three-year staggered terms, are: Meighan Girgus, executive VP of the American Heart Association (AHA) in Dallas; Wes Rishel, VP at Gartner in Alameda, Calif.; and Bruce Taffel, MD, vice president and chief medical officer, Shared Health in Chattanooga, Tenn.
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