This isn’t anything new, but David Blumenthal recently said: “Certification is a critical piece to providing meaningful use for hospitals and physician practices to be eligible for Medicare and Medicaid incentives under ARRA.”
The new final rule for the temporary certification (you know this is all very technical) should be posted on June 24th conveniently coinciding with the day that organizations can apply to become an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ATCB). The ONC’s goal is to have the first EHRs certified by the fall therefore, the certifying entities must be operational by the fall…are you still with me? You can read more details on HealthData Management. In summary:
- ONC is not going to move back “year one” to 2012
- One organization can do both the lab testing and certification or two organizations can partner (and apply for ATCB) in that scenario one would test, the other certify
- ATCB’s must update the list of tested/certified products weekly. The list will be available via the ONC’s website
- Potential ATCB’s applications will be decided on within 30 days
- Of the projected five applicants CCHIT has confirmed that they will apply to be an ATCB
More Reading:
Newly Certified EHRs Expected this Fall
Federal Register
Kick in the Pants?
