CCHIT Announces EHR Vendor Certifications

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology on Tuesday announced 20 ambulatory electronic health-record products that received its seal of approval. Of the 20, two products received a conditional, pre-market certification.  CCHIT Chairman Mark Leavitt said there are a small number of products that are still testing. "This seal of certification removes a significant barrier to widespread adoption of electronic health records. It gives healthcare providers peace of mind to know they are purchasing a product that is functional and interoperable and will bring higher quality, safer care to patients," said HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt.  Leavitt also called health IT one of the "most important things that is happening in healthcare," but added that "this is the first step along a long, long path." He also said that the federal government, in time, will use the certification process as a condition of doing business. CCHIT listed the certified companies and products on its site at www.cchit.org. The names and exact number of companies that applied for CCHIT certification and paid the $28,000 testing fee were not been released, but Mark Leavitt has said there were more than two dozen. Only companies that score 100% on the CCHIT tests for interoperability, functionality and security would get certification, but the names of companies whose products did not pass will not be disclosed. Last September, HHS awarded $2.7 million to CCHIT to develop an efficient and sustainable process to certify health IT products first for the outpatient or ambulatory setting; and then for inpatient and hospital electronic health records.

Additionally, CCHIT will also certify the hard-wired architecture and systems that bridge information between providers, hospitals and physician offices.