• 2014 Edition Test Procedures (Draft Versions)
  • Purpose
  • Public Comment and Approval Process
  • Waves
• Regulation
• Questions

2014 Edition Draft Test Procedures

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has posted the second wave of draft Test Procedures and applicable tools and test data files for the 2014 Edition EHR certification criteria. The Test Procedures, once finalized and approved by the National Coordinator, will be used for testing and certifying EHR technology under the ONC HIT Certification Program (formerly referred to as the Permanent Certification Program or PCP). The Test Procedures are being developed in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

General Purpose

The Test Procedures will be used by testing laboratories and certification bodies to evaluate conformance and functionality of Complete Electronic Health Records (EHRs) or EHR Modules against the standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria adopted by the HHS Secretary for 2014 certification. The Health Information Technology: Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology, 2014 Edition; Revisions to the Permanent Certification Program for Health Information Technology, Final Rule [PDF - 1.25MB], published September 4, 2012, establishes the 2014 Edition EHR Certification Criteria used to develop draft Test Procedures.

Public Review and Comment Process

The draft Test Procedures and applicable tools and test data files are posted on the ONC website and made available for public review and comment. If there is no test data link, test data are either not required or supplied by the vendor. Links to applicable test tools are included in the Test Procedure document. Each Test Procedure for which a tool is included is noted. The draft Test Procedures are posted by wave. Additional waves will be added to this website on a weekly or bi-weekly basis until all have been posted.

A two-week public review and comment period will follow the posting of each wave of draft Test Procedures. Two weeks after the posting date for a particular wave, the public review and comment period will close for that set. After that period, changes may not be able to be incorporated into the final release version. Draft Test Procedures will be posted throughout September and October 2012.

Comments and suggestions should be submitted to ONC.Certification@hhs.gov. All submissions should include "2014 Test Methods" in the subject line. Draft Test Procedures are posted below with applicable test procedures, tools, and test data files. Please be as specific as possible in your comment submission regarding the component of the test method for which you are providing input (i.e., test procedure, test data, or test tools), as well as location information within the document (i.e., page, section number, etc.). ONC will review and consider all public input, but will not publish the deliberation results.

After draft Test Procedures have been through the public comment and review process, ONC will revise and finalize them. The final set of Test Methods is expected to be available for use in testing and certification in early 2013.

Draft 2014 Edition Test Procedures Waves

Wave One

Public comment period for this wave is two weeks after the posting date.

Wave Two

Public comment period for this wave is two weeks after the posting date.

Regulation

The Health Information Technology: Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology, 2014 Edition; Revisions to the Permanent Certification Program for Health Information Technology, Final Rule [PDF - 1.25 MB] establishes the technical requirements and specifies the related standards and implementation specifications that Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT) would need to include, at a minimum, to support the achievement of Meaningful Use (MU) by Eligible Professionals (EPs), Eligible Hospitals (EHs), and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs beginning with the EHR reporting periods in fiscal year and calendar year 2014. These capabilities, standards, and specifications are also known as the 2014 Edition EHR certification criteria.

Questions

Questions about the ONC Certification Program or Test Procedures should be directed to ONC at ONC.Certification@hhs.gov.

For our comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions, visit our FAQ page.