CCHIT's Dual Certification Program

HCI: Will CCHIT ever certify HIEs as EHNAC (the Farmington, Conn.-based Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission) is doing?

Bell: Well, we had actually prepared to do that core business under contract with the federal government, and then there were a change in priorities, so we stopped. The bottom line here is we do have expertise in that area, but where we go with it will depend on where the federal government decides to go in the next couple of years.

HCI: What about certifying master patient indexes (MPIs)?

Bell: That is an area that right now, no one is thinking of certifying. We’re keeping an eye on the environment; if there seems to be a good opportunity to do that, then we’ll consider it at that point. Right now, that’s such a dynamic arena that we’re holding back on going in that direction till we learn more.

HCI: What do you think about the other groups that are ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ATCBs)?

Bell: Well, the only one we know about is the Drummond Group, which was announced at the time we were. Actually, to be very honest, we don’t know that much about them. We know that they have done a lot of work in terms of interoperability of systems that are not related to electronic health records, and that’s a new area for them, but that’s pretty much all we know.

HCI: Why do you think it’s imperative that EHR products be CCHIT-certified?

Bell: The take-home message that I’d like to leave is that the delivery system has multiple needs. The very specific, narrowly focused certification criteria that matches Stage 1 meaningful use, will not meet the more robust needs of the delivery system. So what we have been supporting is the needs for both types of certification: our branded product, which is much more robust with respect to interoperability, functionality, and security. And then using our other certification, the HHS certification, to assure the delivery system that’s eligible, i.e. the eligible clinicians in the hospital, can obtain their meaningful use incentive payments. So we’re recommending a dual approach. And many of our vendors are doing that because we’re offering a very favorable pricing for the vendors that want both.

HCI: Do you think that as meaningful use rolls forward, the value of certification will be validated?

Bell: To be very honest, that’s already happened. We started with ambulatory EHRs, got into the area of hospital, and since then, we’ve met the request to have certification for specialties like cardiovascular, dermatology, etc., and we have expanded into other areas. A whole new area this year for us has been long term and post-acute care. So vendors, with respect to electronic health records, recognize there’s huge value to undergoing our process and guarantying they will have state-of-the-art functionality built-in.

HCI: What other CCHIT certification programs will come out in the future?

Bell: We’re working now on OB/women’s health and also cancer therapy [to be released] within the year.