User login
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 the use of health information technology.
The proposed rule, released in March, establishes a temporary certification program in which the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Dr. David Blumenthal, will designate certain organizations to test and certify complete electronic health records (EHRs) and related modules.
Under the temporary program, Dr. Blumenthal's office would take on many of the functions, such as accreditation, that will later be performed by private groups. The idea 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 certification program that would eventually replace the temporary one. The permanent program would be more sophisticated, dividing the responsibility for testing and certification among different organizations. It also would include accreditation processes and set forth the requirement that certification bodies perform surveillance of certified EHR products. Both programs would be voluntary.
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 the use of health information technology.
The proposed rule, released in March, establishes a temporary certification program in which the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Dr. David Blumenthal, will designate certain organizations to test and certify complete electronic health records (EHRs) and related modules.
Under the temporary program, Dr. Blumenthal's office would take on many of the functions, such as accreditation, that will later be performed by private groups. The idea 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 certification program that would eventually replace the temporary one. The permanent program would be more sophisticated, dividing the responsibility for testing and certification among different organizations. It also would include accreditation processes and set forth the requirement that certification bodies perform surveillance of certified EHR products. Both programs would be voluntary.
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 the use of health information technology.
The proposed rule, released in March, establishes a temporary certification program in which the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Dr. David Blumenthal, will designate certain organizations to test and certify complete electronic health records (EHRs) and related modules.
Under the temporary program, Dr. Blumenthal's office would take on many of the functions, such as accreditation, that will later be performed by private groups. The idea 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 certification program that would eventually replace the temporary one. The permanent program would be more sophisticated, dividing the responsibility for testing and certification among different organizations. It also would include accreditation processes and set forth the requirement that certification bodies perform surveillance of certified EHR products. Both programs would be voluntary.