Although the federal government has yet to release final certification criteria for the "meaningful use" of electronic health records, the Certification Commission for Health IT is continuing to serve as the industry's primary EHR certifier, ZDNet Healthcare reports.
In 2004, the trade group Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society helped found CCHIT. For several years, the commission served as the sole certifying entity for EHR systems.
CCHIT's affiliation with HIMSS has led some observers to express concern that the commission is too closely aligned with the health IT industry.
In response to such concerns, federal committees recently approved a plan that would allow multiple entities to certify EHR systems. The plan would require all interested parties, including CCHIT, to apply for designation as an official EHR certifier.
Although the government has yet to appoint official certifying bodies, CCHIT is continuing to offer its EHR certification programs. The group also recently launched a new "Preliminary ARRA Certification" program that aims to help vendors comply with the forthcoming meaningful use rules (Blankenhorn, ZDNet Healthcare, 11/11).