Shortly before the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled its final rules on "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHRs) on Tuesday, it had also opened doors to vendors to apply for certification that their EHR software complies with federal guidelines.
Since July 1, providers of this type of technology have been able to submit applications to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) to have their products certified by approved organizations.
This process is designed to provide healthcare practitioners and facilities with assurance that the technology they purchase and install will perform as expected to allow them to improve the quality of care and become eligible for incentive payments under the Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs contained in the HITECH Act.
"It paves the way for developers of electronic health records to get their products and services approved and it gets [closer] to meaningful use," said Steve Posnack, director of ONC’s Federal Policy Division, quoted by Federal News Radio.
"The certification instills confidence and assurance that the technology capabilities a healthcare provider is looking to use will be there," he added.
Carol Bean, ONC’s division director for certification and testing, told the news provider that once products become certified, the agency will make their details available to healthcare providers to help them research and choose the most suitable system for their practice or facility. 