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Big Business, Little Data

A growing number of Californians are being sent to ambulatory surgery centers for a wide variety of procedures, yet little is known about the care they deliver because reporting is not required.

Keeping Track of Asthma

CHCF has made a second investment in Asthmapolis, a device that tracks asthma inhaler use and reports data through mobile phones to patients and doctors to better manage the disease.

ONC

Monday, December 13, 2010

ONC Names More Authorized Testing, Certification Entities

On Friday, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT named two more organizations as authorized testing and certification bodies under a temporary certification program for electronic health record systems, Modern Healthcare reports.

The two groups are:

  • ICSA Labs, based in Pennsylvania; and
  • SLI Global Solutions, based in Denver.

Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHRs can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.

The two groups are approved to certify both complete and modular EHR systems.

Other ATCBs

ICSA Labs and SLI Global Solutions join three other ONC-designated ATCBs (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 12/13).

In early September, ONC designated the Certification Commission for Health IT and the Drummond Group as ATCBs (iHealthBeat, 9/7).

Later that month, the agency approved InfoGard Laboratories as the third ATCB (iHealthBeat, 9/20).

National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal said more than 130 complete and modular EHR systems have been approved by ATCBs since September (Modern Healthcare, 12/13).

Certification Program Details

The temporary certification program is scheduled to last through 2011. ONC is planning a permanent certification program that will designate separate organizations to test and certify EHRs during future years of the incentive payment program (iHealthBeat, 9/20).



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