CHICAGO – The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology announced Tuesday the first group of products certified for use with the proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) incentive requirements.
The 2011 Comprehensive and Preliminary ARRA certification programs, launched on Oct. 7, inspect electronic health record technology for the first time against proposed federal standards to support providers in qualifying for 2011-2012 incentives under ARRA.
"The ARRA incentives have the potential to significantly accelerate adoption of EHR technology by office-based physicians, other eligible providers and hospitals," said Alisa Ray, the CCHIT's executive director. "These first four health IT companies, demonstrating their compliance with the proposed federal standards, are now able to offer certified products to providers who wish to purchase and implement EHR technology and achieve meaningful use in time for the 2011-2012 incentives. "
According to Ray, the CCHIT has had about 25 applications for its 2011 programs and inspections are continuing. She expects the CCHIT to make additional announcements soon.
The CCHIT Certified 2011 Comprehensive program differs from the Preliminary ARRA certification program by providing a more rigorous inspection of integrated EHR functionality, interoperability and security in addition to full compliance with federal standards, she said.
As part of the Comprehensive inspection process, key aspects of successful use are verified at live sites, and usability is rated, Ray said.
The CCHIT Certified Comprehensive program is intended to serve healthcare providers looking for maximal assurance that a product will meet their complex needs, as well as support their achievement of meaningful use to qualify for the ARRA financial incentives, according to Ray.
One product has been certified in the CCHIT Certified 2011 Comprehensive program: ABELMed EHR-EMR/PM, version 11, by ABEL Medical Software, Inc.
The Preliminary ARRA 2011 program is a modular, limited certification and inspects technology only against the federal standards. It offers flexibility for health IT companies, developers and providers in meeting ARRA 2011-2012 certification requirements.
The products announced Tuesday as certified in the Preliminary ARRA 2011 program are:
- eHealth Made EASY, version 3, by eHealth Made EASY, LLC, supporting two of 27 meaningful use objectives for eligible providers and two of 24 objectives for hospitals.
- KIS Track, version 5.1, by Kaulkin Information Systems, supporting two of 27 objectives for eligible providers.
- Medios, version 4.5, by IOS Health Systems, supporting all 27 objectives for eligible providers.
According to Ray, the 'Certification Facts' label displayed with every product listing describes all certifications granted and lists which meaningful use objectives are supported by the technology.
The ARRA certification component of both programs is considered preliminary because the definitions of 'meaningful use,' as well as criteria and standards, have not been approved by the Department of Health and Human Services, Ray said. Healthcare IT companies testing against the proposed standards will be provided the opportunity to close any gaps after the final rules are published in the Federal Register in spring 2010.
