Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology

Last updated
Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology
Formation2004
Dissolved2014
Typeindependent
501(c)(3) non profit
Serviceshealth care information
Website www.cchit.org

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) was an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the public mission of accelerating adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology in the United States. The Commission certified electronic health record technology (EHR) from 2006 until 2014. It was approved by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB). The CCHIT Certified program was an independently developed certification that included a rigorous inspection of an EHR's integrated functionality, interoperability and security using criteria developed by CCHIT's broadly representative, expert work groups. These products may also be certified in the ONC-ATCB certification program. The Commission ceased all operations in 2014

Contents

History

CCHIT was founded in 2004 with support from three leading industry associations in healthcare information management and technology: the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the National Alliance for Health Information Technology (the Alliance). In September 2005, CCHIT was awarded a 3-year contract by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and evaluate the certification criteria and inspection process for EHRs and the networks through which they interoperate. In October 2006, HHS officially designated CCHIT as a Recognized Certification Body (RCB). [1] In July 2010, HHS published new rules for recognizing testing and certification bodies, scheduled to take effect when it named the new bodies. In September 2010, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) of HHS named CCHIT again under these new rules. CCHIT is an ONC Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB).

Goals

Operations

CCHIT focused its first efforts on ambulatory EHR products [2] for the office-based physician and provider and began commercial certification in May 2006.

CCHIT then developed a process of certification for inpatient EHR products [3] and launched that program in 2007.

CCHIT then assessed the need for, and potential benefit of, certifying EHR for specialty medicine, special care settings, and special-needs populations. [4] [5]

CCHIT, in a collaboration with the MITRE Corporation, also developed an open-source program called Laika to test EHR software for compliance with federally named interoperability standards.

In January 2014, Information Week reported that CCHIT would exit the EHR certification business. [6]

On November 14, 2014, CCHIT ceased all operations. [7]

Announcements of CCHIT Certified Products

Commissioners

The Commission, chaired by Karen Bell, M.D., M.M.S, was composed of 21 members each serving two-year terms.

Stakeholders

Certified EHR products benefit many interested groups and individuals:

CCHIT and its volunteer work groups strove to fairly represent the interests of each of these diverse groups in an open forum, communicating the progress of its work and seeking input from all quarters. CCHIT received the endorsements of a number of professional medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the Physicians' Foundation for Health Systems Excellence and Physicians' Foundation for Health Systems Innovation.

See also

Notes

  1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (October 26, 2006): HHS Officially Recognizes Certification Body to Evaluate Electronic Health Records Archived January 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Public postings of CCHIT work products for the ambulatory domain Archived May 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Public postings of CCHIT work products for the inpatient domain Archived January 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. CCHIT to Expand Electronic Health Record Certification to Some Specialties Archived December 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine (November 28, 2006)
  5. CCHIT: Certifying EHR for Specialty Medicine and Special Care Settings [ permanent dead link ]
  6. "CCHIT Exits EHR Certification Business - InformationWeek". InformationWeek. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  7. "Learn about Health Information Technology | CCHIT.org". Archived from the original on 2016-12-13. Retrieved 2010-11-15. Retrieved January 24, 2015
  8. Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (July 18, 2006): CCHIT Announces First Certified Electronic Health Record Products Archived January 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved July 26, 2006
  9. Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (July 31, 2006):CCHIT Announces Additional Certified Electronic Health Record Products Archived June 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved July 31, 2006
  10. CCHIT Announces New Certified Electronic Health Record Products (October 23, 2006): CCHIT Announces New Certified Electronic Health Record Products Archived February 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  11. CCHIT Announces New Certified Electronic Health Record Products (April 30, 2007): CCHIT Announces New Certified Electronic Health Record Products Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health informatics</span> Computational approaches to health care

Health informatics is the study and implementation of computer structures and algorithms to improve communication, understanding, and management of medical information. It can be viewed as a branch of engineering and applied science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act</span> United States federal law concerning health information

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is a United States Act of Congress enacted by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 21, 1996. It aimed to alter the transfer of healthcare information, stipulated the guidelines by which personally identifiable information maintained by the healthcare and healthcare insurance industries should be protected from fraud and theft, and addressed some limitations on healthcare insurance coverage. It generally prohibits healthcare providers and businesses called covered entities from disclosing protected information to anyone other than a patient and the patient's authorized representatives without their consent. The bill does not restrict patients from receiving information about themselves. Furthermore, it does not prohibit patients from voluntarily sharing their health information however they choose, nor does it require confidentiality where a patient discloses medical information to family members, friends or other individuals not employees of a covered entity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic health record</span> Digital collection of patient and population electronically stored health information

An electronic health record (EHR) is the systematized collection of patient and population electronically stored health information in a digital format. These records can be shared across different health care settings. Records are shared through network-connected, enterprise-wide information systems or other information networks and exchanges. EHRs may include a range of data, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal statistics like age and weight, and billing information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OpenEMR</span> Open-source health record system

OpenEMR is a medical practice management software which also supports Electronic Medical Records (EMR). It is ONC Complete Ambulatory EHR certified and features fully integrated electronic medical records, practice management for a medical practice, scheduling, and electronic billing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Institute for Health Records</span>

The European Institute for Health Records or EuroRec Institute is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 as part of the ProRec initiative. On 13 May 2003, the institute was established as a non-profit organization under French law. Current President of EuroRec is Prof. Dipak Kalra. The institute is involved in the promotion of high quality Electronic Health Record systems in the European Union. One of the main missions of the institute is to support, as the European authorised certification body, EHRs certification development, testing and assessment by defining functional and other criteria.

Health information technology (HIT) is health technology, particularly information technology, applied to health and health care. It supports health information management across computerized systems and the secure exchange of health information between consumers, providers, payers, and quality monitors. Based on a 2008 report on a small series of studies conducted at four sites that provide ambulatory care – three U.S. medical centers and one in the Netherlands, the use of electronic health records (EHRs) was viewed as the most promising tool for improving the overall quality, safety and efficiency of the health delivery system.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is a staff division of the Office of the Secretary, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ONC leads national health IT efforts. It is charged as the principal federal entity to coordinate nationwide efforts to implement the use of advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Practice Fusion</span> Electronic health record company

Practice Fusion is a web-based electronic health record (EHR) company based in San Francisco, CA. The company was founded in 2005 by Ryan Howard and acquired by Allscripts in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LSS Data Systems</span> American medical software and service company

LSS Data Systems (LSS) is a medical software and service company based in Minnesota, United States. The company developed products for physicians and was founded in 1982. LSS partnered with Medical Information Technology (MEDITECH) in 1982. Together, they developed physician practice management and ambulatory electronic health record software. In 2000 and 2001, MEDITECH invested in LSS and eventually acquired complete ownership of the company in February 2011. After the acquisition, LSS became a wholly-owned subsidiary of MEDITECH, a Massachusetts-based company. The company later announced the completion of the merger on January 1, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NextGen Healthcare</span> American software and services company

NextGen Healthcare, Inc. is an American software and services company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company develops and sells electronic health record (EHR) software and practice management systems to the healthcare industry. NextGen Healthcare also provides population health, financial management, and clinical solutions for medical and dental practices. On September 7, 2018, Quality Systems, Inc. changed its name to NextGen Healthcare, Inc. and on September 10, their stock ticker symbol changed to NASDAQ: NXGN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Certify Data Systems</span>

Certify Data Systems, Inc. founded in 2004, was a healthcare information technology (IT) company located in Campbell, California, that developed an interoperability platform to enable health information exchange (HIE) between healthcare entities, such as integrated health organizations, hospitals, multi-specialty centers, clinics, laboratories and physicians. The company was acquired by Humana Inc. in 2012. In March 2015, Certify Data Systems integrated with Anvita Health and enliven systems to form Transcend Insights, a population health management (PHM) technology company.

popHealth is an open-source reference implementation software tool that automates population health reporting.

The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) is a voluntary, self-governing standards development organization (SDO) in the United States established to develop standard criteria and accredit organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data. These entities include electronic health networks, payers, financial services firms, health information exchanges (HIEs), management service organizations and e-prescribing solution providers.

The Clinical Care Classification (CCC) System is a standardized, coded nursing terminology that identifies the discrete elements of nursing practice. The CCC provides a unique framework and coding structure. Used for documenting the plan of care; following the nursing process in all health care settings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nightingale Informatix Corporation</span> Software company in Canada

Nightingale Informatix Corporation, commonly abbreviated as Nightingale, is a public company headquartered in Markham, Ontario, Canada with offices in Rancho Cordova, California, Cambridge, Ontario, Kansas City, Missouri, Pembroke, Massachusetts, and Wexford, Pennsylvania. Nightingale provides products and services that support physicians, allied healthcare practitioners, hospitals and other healthcare organizations with their clinical and operational requirements. Nightingale provides EHR and Practice Management services, as well as a Patient Portal, Revenue Cycle Management and Medical transcription services to solo physicians, group practices and large clinics across the United States and Canada. The EMR/ EHR by Nightingale is a web-based program and is hosted in a secure ASP environment.

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, abbreviated the HITECH Act, was enacted under Title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Under the HITECH Act, the United States Department of Health and Human Services resolved to spend $25.9 billion to promote and expand the adoption of health information technology. The Washington Post reported the inclusion of "as much as $36.5 billion in spending to create a nationwide network of electronic health records." At the time it was enacted, it was considered "the most important piece of health care legislation to be passed in the last 20 to 30 years" and the "foundation for health care reform."

The Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources standard is a set of rules and specifications for exchanging electronic health care data. It is designed to be flexible and adaptable, so that it can be used in a wide range of settings and with different health care information systems. The goal of FHIR is to enable the seamless and secure exchange of health care information, so that patients can receive the best possible care. The standard describes data formats and elements and an application programming interface (API) for exchanging electronic health records (EHR). The standard was created by the Health Level Seven International (HL7) health-care standards organization.

Health care analytics is the health care analysis activities that can be undertaken as a result of data collected from four areas within healthcare; claims and cost data, pharmaceutical and research and development (R&D) data, clinical data, and patient behavior and sentiment data (patient behaviors and preferences,. Health care analytics is a growing industry in the United States, expected to grow to more than $31 billion by 2022. The industry focuses on the areas of clinical analysis, financial analysis, supply chain analysis, as well as marketing, fraud and HR analysis.

Federal and state governments, insurance companies and other large medical institutions are heavily promoting the adoption of electronic health records. The US Congress included a formula of both incentives and penalties for EMR/EHR adoption versus continued use of paper records as part of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted as part of the, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

RXNT is an American privately held healthcare software technology company. The company provides ambulatory practices, hospitals, medical billers, and other healthcare professionals with digital health tools. The company was created in 1999, as a standalone e-prescribing system.