Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology
Encyclopedia
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the public mission of accelerating the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology. The Commission has been certifying electronic health record technology since 2006 and is approved by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is a staff division of the Office of the Secretary, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services...

 (ONC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB). The CCHIT Certified program is an independently developed certification that includes a rigorous inspection of an EHR’s integrated functionality, interoperability and security using criteria developed by CCHIT’s broadly representative, expert work groups. These products may also be certified in the ONC-ATCB certification program.

History

CCHIT was founded in 2004 with support from three leading industry associations in healthcare information management and technology: the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality, safety, cost-effectiveness, and access to healthcare through the best use of information technology and management systems. Originally founded in 1961 as the Hospital...

 and the National Alliance for Health Information Technology (the Alliance). In September 2005, CCHIT was awarded a 3-year contract by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and evaluate the certification criteria and inspection process for EHRs and the networks through which they interoperate. In October 2006, HHS officially designated CCHIT as a Recognized Certification Body (RCB). In July 2010, HHS published new rules for recognizing testing and certification bodies, scheduled to take effect when it named the new bodies. In September 2010, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) of HHS named CCHIT again under these new rules. CCHIT is an ONC Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB).

Goals

  • Reduce the risk of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) investment
    Investment
    Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...

     by physician
    Physician
    A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

    s and other providers
  • Ensure interoperability
    Interoperability
    Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...

     (compatibility) of HIT products
  • Assure payers and purchasers providing incentives for electronic health record
    Electronic Health Record
    An electronic health record is an evolving concept defined as a systematic collection of electronic health information about individual patients or populations...

    s (EHR) adoption that the ROI
    Return on investment
    Return on investment is one way of considering profits in relation to capital invested. Return on assets , return on net assets , return on capital and return on invested capital are similar measures with variations on how “investment” is defined.Marketing not only influences net profits but also...

     will be improved quality
  • Protect the privacy
    Privacy
    Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...

     of patients' personal health information
    Personal health record
    A personal health record or PHR is a health record where health data is curated by an individual user themselves. This stands in contrast with the more widely used electronic medical record which is held by institutions such as a hospital and contains data entered by clinicians or billing data in...

    .

Present

CCHIT focused its first efforts on ambulatory EHR products for the office-based physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

 and provider and began commercial certification in May 2006.

CCHIT then developed a process of certification for inpatient EHR products and launched that program in 2007.

CCHIT then assessed the need for, and potential benefit of, certifying EHR for specialty medicine, special care settings, and special-needs populations.

CCHIT, in a collaboration with the MITRE Corporation, also developed an open-source program called Laika
Laika (EHR Testing Framework)
Laika is an open source Electronic Health Record testing framework. Laika analyzes and reports on the interoperability capabilities of EHR systems. This includes the testing for certification of EHR software products and networks...

 to test EHR software for compliance with Federally-named interoperability standards.

Announcements of CCHIT Certified Products

  • On July 18, 2006, CCHIT released its first list of 20 certified ambulatory EMR and EHR products
  • On July 31, 2006, CCHIT announced that two additional EHR products had achieved certification.
  • On October 23, 2006, CCHIT released its second list of 11 certified vendors.
  • On April 30, 2007, CCHIT released its third list of 18 certified vendors.
  • On November 16, 2009, CCHIT released its initial draft criteria for Behavioral Health, Clinical Research, and Dermatology EHRs, with expected final publication available July 2010.

Future

The Commission is currently developing a special program for hospitals wishing to certify legacy, customized or self-developed EHR products in the ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 program. The program called the EHR Alternative Certification for Hospitals, or EACH, is scheduled to open in December 2010. The Commission is also planning to launch CCHIT Certified programs for EHRs used in Clinical Research, Oncology and Women's Health (obstetrics component) in 2011.

Commissioners

The Commission, chaired by Karen Bell, M.D., M.M.S, is currently composed of 21 members each serving two-year terms.

Stakeholders

Certified EHR products benefit many interested groups and individuals:
  • Physician
    Physician
    A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

    s, hospital
    Hospital
    A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

    s, health care system
    Health care system
    A health care system is the organization of people, institutions, and resources to deliver health care services to meet the health needs of target populations....

    s, safety net provider
    Social safety net
    Social safety nets, or "socioeconomic safety nets", are non-contributory transfer programs seeking to prevent the poor or those vulnerable to shocks and poverty from falling below a certain poverty level. Safety net programs can be provided by the public sector or by the private sector...

    s, public health
    Public health
    Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...

     agencies and other purchasers of HIT
    Health informatics
    .Health informatics is a discipline at the intersection of information science, computer science, and health care...

     products, who seek quality, interoperability
    Interoperability
    Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...

    , data portability
    Portability
    Portability may refer to:*Portability , the portability of social security benefits*Software portability, the portability of a piece of software to multiple platforms...

     and security
    Security
    Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...

  • Purchasers and payers – from government to the private sector – who are prepared to offer financial incentives for HIT
    Health informatics
    .Health informatics is a discipline at the intersection of information science, computer science, and health care...

     adoption but need the assurance of having a mechanism in place to ensure that products deliver the expected benefits
  • Quality improvement organizations
    Quality improvement organizations
    Quality Improvement Organizations monitor the appropriateness, effectiveness, and quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries. They are private contractor extensions of the federal government that work under the auspices of the U.S...

     that seek out an efficient means of measuring that criteria have been assessed and met
  • Standard
    Standardization
    Standardization is the process of developing and implementing technical standards.The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers , compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability, or quality....

    s development and informatics
    Information technology
    Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...

     experts that gain consensus on standard
    Standardization
    Standardization is the process of developing and implementing technical standards.The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers , compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability, or quality....

    s
  • Vendors who benefit from having to meet a single set of criteria and from having a voice in the process
  • Healthcare consumer
    Consumer
    Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...

    s, ultimately the most important stakeholders, who will benefit from a reliable, accurate
    ACCURATE
    ACCURATE was established in 2005 by a group of computer scientists, psychologists and policy experts to address problems with electronic voting...

     and secure
    Security
    Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...

     record
    Medical record
    The terms medical record, health record, and medical chart are used somewhat interchangeably to describe the systematic documentation of a single patient's medical history and care across time within one particular health care provider's jurisdiction....

     of their health
    Health
    Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...



CCHIT and its volunteer workgroups strive to fairly represent the interests of each of these diverse groups in an open forum, communicating the progress of its work and seeking input from all quarters. CCHIT has received the endorsements of a number of professional medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Family Physicians
The American Academy of Family Physicians was founded in 1947 to promote the science and art of family medicine. It is one of the largest medical organizations in the United States, with over 100,000 members...

, the American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is the major professional association of pediatricians in the United States. The AAP was founded in 1930 by 35 pediatricians to address pediatric healthcare standards. It currently has 60,000 members in primary care and sub-specialist areas...

, the American College of Physicians
American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is a national organization of doctors of internal medicine —physicians who specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults. With 130,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in...

, the Physicians' Foundation for Health Systems Excellence and Physicians' Foundation for Health Systems Innovation.
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