Certification Commission approves criteria for hospital-based EHRs
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) announced today that it has published its approved criteria for certification of inpatient (hospital-based) electronic health record (EHR) products and will begin taking applications for certification on Aug. 1. The final certification criteria, test scripts and associated program policy documents are posted on the commission's website, www.cchit.org

The application period for the first quarterly testing batch will be open until Aug. 14, and the first certified inpatient EHR products are expected to be announced in late October. 

“Thanks to a year of intensive work by our volunteer workgroups and supporting staff, we are now ready to bring the benefits of certification to the inpatient domain,” said Alisa Ray, executive director. “Besides covering foundation standards such as security, the inspection of inpatient EHR products will examine clinician electronic order writing (often called CPOE), electronic medication administration (often called eMAR), related clinical decision support, and medication reconciliation. Certified products will have demonstrated their ability to have a positive impact on the quality and safety of patient care.”

Also, the CCHIT is seeking qualified candidates to serve as Commissioners for a two-year term beginning in October. The application period will be open July 1-31. The 21-member board of commissioners oversees and approves the development of certification criteria by the commission’s voluntary work groups and supporting staff, and its composition is designed to ensure representation from a wide variety of stakeholders. 

This year, six commission positions are open, one from each of the following stakeholder groups: healthcare consumer organizations; health information exchanges; informatics experts; public health agencies; safety net providers; and ambulatory care providers. Candidates will be considered only in those stakeholder areas. Interested candidates should submit their resumes to candidates@cchit.org. The board of trustees will review all applications and announce appointments in September.
Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup