CCHIT Certification Recognizes EHR Interoperability, Security and Safety Features

In October 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) a contract to develop, create prototypes for, and evaluate the certification criteria and inspection process for electronic health records (EHRs).

A private, nonprofit initiative, CCHIT’s mission is to accelerate the adoption of health information technology by creating an efficient, credible and sustainable certification program. The first certified EHR products were announced at www.cchit.org in July, 2006.

Physicians who are evaluating EHRs for their practices should consider that CCHIT certification assures that the system offers these important features:

• Prescriptions can be sent and refilled electronically
• Laboratory results can be received in a standard format
• Drug interactions can be checked
• Care management and patient reporting features are in place
• Strong security protections to safeguard patient data.