CHICAGO – The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology is poised to expand its health information technology certification programs, with several new certification programs for launch in 2010.

 Two areas already named in previous years - behavioral health and long-term care - will be developed as planned.

In addition, four new program areas are proposed, all of which are optional add-on certifications for ambulatory EHRs: clinical research, dermatology, advanced interoperability and advanced quality.

 The commission plans to seek volunteers for new work groups on clinical research and dermatology in the spring and will draw on existing volunteer panels for work on advanced interoperability and advanced quality.

“We received over 700 pages of material this time,” said CCHIT Chairman Mark Leavitt, MD, “and the commission has worked thoughtfully to prioritize our response to this tremendous demand. While previous roadmaps defined expansion in terms of professional specialties, care settings and patient populations, this year the commission is adding more flexibility, opening up the option of certifying advanced levels of technology for products that go ‘beyond the basics’ in any domain.”

 The roadmap identifies additional areas for future consideration, though programs for them may not be ready for launch in 2010. They include eye care, oncology, obstetrics/gynecology, advanced security and advanced clinical decision support.

 All the material submitted to CCHIT for review will be posted along with the Draft Expansion Roadmap, which is set for publication at the end of February.