About Certification
Certification Program Overview
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) Certification Program provides a defined process to ensure that Electronic Health Record (EHR) technologies meet the adopted standards and certification criteria to help providers and hospitals achieve Meaningful Use (MU) objectives and measures established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide a financial incentive for the Meaningful Use of Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT). Meaningful Use establishes the requirements for providers to show they are using CEHRT in ways that can be measured significantly in quality and quantity. Get additional information on Meaningful Use.
Benefits of Certification
Certification of Health Information Technology (HIT) provides assurance to purchasers and other users that an EHR system offers the necessary technological capability, functionality, and security to help them meet MU objectives and measures.
Certification also gives providers and patients confidence that the electronic HIT products and systems they use are secure and can work with other systems to share information.
How does this all work?
The graphic below provides an overview of the ONC EHR Certification Program.
ONC Certification Program Overview
In the ONC Certification Program, vendors first create EHR products that meet the standards and certification criteria adopted by the HHS Secretary. Then, Accredited Testing Laboratories (ATLs) test the products. ONC-Authorized Certification Bodies (ONC-ACBs) certify tested EHR products based on the standards and certification criteria adopted by the HHS Secretary. Once the product(s) have been certified, ONC posts the certified products to the Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL). Eligible Professionals (EPs) and Eligible Hospitals (EHs) then use EHR products in accordance with Meaningful Use (MU) objectives and measures. EPs and EHs then attest to MU and collect incentive payments from CMS.
Note: Before the sunset of the Temporary Certification Program (TCP) on October 4, 2012, testing and certification activities were performed by ONC-ATCBs. The ONC-ATCBs have six months from the sunset date to complete testing and certification activities for products already in the testing pipeline.
Background
The Office of Certification was established to develop and oversee national programs for certification of HIT as required by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.
The HITECH Act seeks to improve health care delivery and patient care through an unprecedented investment in HIT. The provisions of the HITECH Act are specifically designed to provide the necessary assistance and technical support to providers, enable coordination and alignment within and among states, establish connectivity to the public health community in case of emergencies, and assure the workforce is properly trained and equipped to be meaningful users of certified EHRs. These programs collaboratively build the foundation for every patient to benefit from an EHR, as part of a modernized, interconnected, and vastly improved system of care delivery.