The federal government has put forward its plan to test and certify electronic health records in preparation for the Medicare and Medicaid incentive program that will reward physicians for using health information technology.
The proposed rule establishes a temporary certification program in which Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, will designate certain organizations to test and certify complete electronic health records (EHRs) and related modules. Dr. Blumenthal's office would take on many of the functions (such as accreditation) that will later be performed by private groups. The idea behind the temporary program is to ensure that certified EHR products are available before the first incentives for use of certified systems begin in 2011.
The rule also proposes the creation of a permanent, more sophisticated certification program that would eventually replace the temporary one. It would divide the responsibility for testing and certification among different organizations, and would set forth the requirement that certification bodies perform surveillance of certified EHR products. Certification bodies also may be able to assess additional health information technology products beyond EHRs and their modules. Both certification programs would be voluntary.
Dr. Blumenthal called publication of the proposed rule an “important first step” to bringing structure to the evaluation of EHRs and EHR modules. “The programs will help support end users of certified products, and ultimately serve the interests of each patient by ensuring that their information is securely managed and available,” he said in a statement.
Earlier, the government issued a proposed rule outlining criteria for meaningful use of EHRs and an interim final rule that included an initial set of standards and specifications for product certification.