The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives recently released its analysis of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's final rule on a temporary program to help ONC approve organizations to test and certify electronic health records, Healthcare IT News reports.
Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate "meaningful use" of certified EHRs will qualify for federal incentive payments.
The final rule on the temporary certification program appeared in the Federal Register on June 24.
According to CHIME's analysis, the EHR certification standards are likely to change and evolve over time. Therefore, CHIME concluded, the final rule would create a need for EHRs to undergo the certification process on an ongoing basis (Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 7/1).