NIST awards contract to create EHR certification systemBy Mary Mosquera
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The National Institute of Standards and Technology awarded Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. a contract to help develop a testing method and processes for certifying electronic health record systems.
The $400,000 contract, announced Jan. 13, calls for the consulting firm to help NIST build a testing framework for health IT, a certification “process document” and other planning tools. NIST announced the short-term contract on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site Jan. 13.
The work is part of a larger contract BAH already has with NIST for health IT consulting services, according to the announcement. The just-announced contract will provide a bridge until NIST finishes a competition for providers to complete the work.
NIST said it had two goals for the program: to develop testing and certification documents to help set up a health IT certification program, and to set up a “proficiency testing framework” for authorizing certification and testing organizations.
NIST was provided $20 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT build a “testing infrastructure that support the security and interoperability of EHR systems,” according to the agency.
The terms of the recent meaningful use rules require providers to use certified EHR systems to qualify for federal health IT incentives. Dr. David Blumenthal, the national health IT coordinator, has said that he will announce early this year a process through which a number of different organizations could certify EHR systems.
Currently, the Certification Commission for Health IT is the sole organization set up to certify the performance of EHR systems. |
发表于 2010-1-19 08:43:15
发表于 2010-1-19 09:41:19