A proposed rule has been issued by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, United States , which recommends two certification programs for testing and certifying Electronic health Records. One of these certifications will be temporary and the other one, permanent.
The proposed rule describes how an organization would become an “ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Body” under the temporary program. An organization would submit an application and demonstrate “its competency and ability to test and certify Complete EHRs and/or EHR Modules,” according to the proposed rule.
CCHIT, like any other organization, can become a -Authorized Testing and Certification Body. Because organizations must be able to both test and certify, ONC expects only a few organizations ultimately will qualify under the temporary certification program.
In the permanent certification program, the testing and certification of EHRs will be done by separate organizations. Upon establishment of the permanent program, ONC will move to the public sector many of the administrative processes and duties it will assume under the temporary program.
The proposed rule lays out a process under the permanent program for organizations to become an “ONC-Authorized Certification Body.” These organizations would not test for compliance with certification requirements–ONC’s authorization would be valid solely for certification. The National Institute of Standards and Technology would be responsible for accrediting testing laboratories and determining their competency.
The public comment period for the temporary certification program will be open for 30 days after publication. The public comment period for the permanent certification program will be open for 60 days after publication. While the proposed rule describes two certification programs, ONC anticipates issuing separate final rules for each of the programs.