HIMSS News
Federal Affairs: Office of the National Coordinator Announces the HHS Certification Process
At HIMSS10 this week, Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health IT, announced the release of the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for the HHS Certification Process. As outlined in ARRA, the NPRM establishes steps for: a) organizations to be authorized by ONC as certifying bodies, and b) EHR technology companies to get their products certified against Meaningful Use criteria.
The NPRM establishes a two-pronged approach for the Certification program. The first, a Temporary Certification Process, is designed to provide a short-term solution to assist eligible professionals and eligible hospitals in achieving Meaningful Use at the start of the programs. The public has 30 days to comment on the draft regulations.
ONC has indicated that the Temporary program will end when the permanent certification program is established and at least one certification body has been authorized by the National Coordinator.
The Permanent Certification Process is more complex and will allow 60 days for public comment. The structure is expected to separate the responsibilities for testing and certification; introduce accreditation requirements; establish requirements for certification bodies authorized by the National Coordinator related to the surveillance of Certified EHR Technology; and explore the potential for certification bodies authorized by the National Coordinator to certify other types of health IT in addition to Complete EHRs and EHR Modules.
