The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) has named a newly formed board of trustees that will now assume fiduciary responsibility. This is one of the required elements in order for the organization to transition to becoming a fully independent, nonprofit organization, CCHIT said. The members of the new board of trustees are:

• Tom Fritz, CEO, Inland Northwest Health Services;
• Linda Kloss, CEO, American Health Information Management Association;
• H. Stephen Lieber, president & CEO, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society;
• John Tooker, M.D., M.B.A., exec. vice president / CEO, American College of Physicians;
• Frank J. Trembulak, exec. vice president/COO, Geisinger Health System;
• Glen Tullman, chairman & CEO, Allscripts; and
• Scott Wallace, president & CEO, The National Alliance for Health Information Technology.

The trustees will serve three-year terms. The group will be joined by commission chair, Mark Leavitt MD, PhD, and the executive director, Alisa Ray, in an ex-officio role. The members were appointed by the current Operating Committee composed of the three founding organizations – the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (Alliance). 

The responsibilities of the board of trustees will include fiscal oversight and stewardship of assets, organizational strategy, evaluation of senior management, and identification and resolution of any conflicts of interest involving commissioners and management of CCHIT, the organization said.

In other news, the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has officially endorsed CCHIT. "The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) believes that the certification process undertaken by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) removes one of the significant barriers to increased EHR adoption,” MGMA president and CEO William F. Jessee, M.D. wrote in a letter detailing the endorsement. “While medical practices must exercise their own due diligence in selecting an EHR product that fits their organizational needs, we believe they will benefit by beginning that process with the guidance of a credible, independent product certification body. MGMA is pleased to endorse the work of the CCHIT," added Jessee.