First products clear EHR meaningful use certification

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First products clear EHR meaningful use certificationBy John Moore
Tuesday, December 01, 2009

The Certification Commission for Health IT has given its seal of approval to the first batch of products certified under two new programs that weigh electronic health records against the government’s proposed meaningful use standards.
Providers who can demonstrate meaningful use of a certified EHR product qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
CCHIT pointed out that the ARRA aspect of both new certification programs is preliminary, as the Department of Health and Human Services has yet to finalize its meaningful use definition. HHS is expected to publish an interim final rule regarding meaningful use in December.
Nevertheless, health IT vendors that opt to test against the proposed standards now will have an  opportunity to “quickly close any gaps after the final rules are published in the Federal Register in spring 2010,” according to CCHIT.
The programs, CCHIT Certified 2011 Comprehensive and Preliminary ARRA 2011, were launched October 7. The certification body has received about 25 applications thus far and inspections are continuing, according to CCHIT.
Applications are still being accepted and will be on a continuous basis, a CCHIT spokeswoman added.
CCHIT describes its Preliminary ARRA 2011 program as a “modular, limited certification.”  The program focuses on inspecting technology solely against federal standards stemming from ARRA. The comprehensive certification program for 2011, meanwhile, evaluates integrated EHR functionality, interoperability, and security as well as federal compliance.
ABEL Medical Software’s ABELMed EHR-EMR/PM, Version 11 is the first product certified under the comprehensive program. Products certified under the preliminary ARRA program are: eHealth Made EASY’s eHealth Made EASY, Version 3; Kaulkin Information Systems’ KIS Track, Version 5.1; and IOS Health Systems, Medios, Version 4.5.
The comprehensive and preliminary programs follow CCHIT’s commitment earlier this year to provide “new paths to certification.”