CCHIT Accelerates Development of Advanced Technology Certifications

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology recently announced that it will accelerate the development of advanced technology certification programs—encompassing clinical decision support, interoperability, quality, and security—in order to complete them all in the upcoming 2009-2010 development cycle. Previously, advanced clinical decision support and security were on the commission’s road map but would not have been completed until 2011.

“We see evidence that the health IT programs under the recovery act will be implemented according to the ambitious schedules in the legislation,” says Mark Leavitt, MD, PhD, commission chair. “For CCHIT to ensure that a robust selection of certification options will be available when the HIT Policy and Standards Committees make their decisions later this year, our own schedule must be equally ambitious. That’s why we have decided to develop all four of these advanced certification options at once.”

Advanced technology certification in these four new areas complements the commission’s core certification programs in multiple domains, giving policymakers as well as HIT buyers more options.  In an earlier announcement of its expansion road map, the commission emphasized this need for flexibility and responsiveness, adapting the certification cycle as needed to support the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The expansion is resulting in a brief delay in the opening of the commission’s annual volunteer recruitment period so the application data collection system can be updated, adding four additional work group choices for participants. The opening for volunteer applications is March 26 instead of the originally scheduled March 23. The application window will close on April 20. The new advanced technology work groups are open to all applicants.

Those interested in helping guide the CCHIT’s efforts are encouraged to apply at www.cchit.org/volunteer beginning March 26.

Source: The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology

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