The Drummond Group Inc. (DGI), Austin, Texas, and the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT), Chicago, Ill., were named Aug. 30 by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) as the first technology review bodies that have been authorized to test and certify electronic health record (EHR) systems for compliance with the standards and certification criteria that were issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this year.

Announcement of these ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ONC-ATCBs) means that EHR vendors can now begin to have their products certified as meeting criteria to support meaningful use—a key step in the national initiative to encourage adoption and effective use of EHRs by America’s health care providers.

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A recent article co-written by top government officials and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine touts the virtues of recent health reform legislation. Robert Kocher, M.D., National Economic Council, special assistant to the president for health care, Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., special advisor on health policy, Office of Management and Budget, and White House Director of Health Reform Nancy-Ann M. DeParle, J.D., admit in the article, “The Affordable Care Act and the Future of Clinical Medicine: The Opportunities and Challenges,” that reform will weed out the inept, but those who are up to the challenge will reap the rewards of a superior health care system.

“To realize the full benefits of the Affordable Care Act, physicians will need to embrace rather than resist change,” the authors write.

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Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit and investigative activity between Oct. 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010 resulted in expected recoveries amounting to approximately $3.1 billion, according to the agency’s Semiannual Report to Congress.

This dollar amount is considerably lower than the $20.97 billion the OIG said it expected to recover in its Semiannual Report to Congress for the period of April 1, 2009 through Sept. 30, 2009. Read more »

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched the official website for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. Look to this website for up-to-date, detailed information about the EHR incentive programs.

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The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) issued a final rule June 18 to establish a temporary certification program for electronic health record (EHR) technology. The temporary certification program establishes processes that organizations will need to follow to be authorized by the National Coordinator to test and certify EHR technology.

The rule outlines how organizations can become ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ONC-ATCBs). Authorized by the National Coordinator, ONC-ATCB are required to test and certify that certain types of EHR technology (Complete EHRs and EHR Modules) are compliant with the standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria adopted by the HHS Secretary and meet the definition of “certified EHR technology.”

Meaningful use of certified EHR technology is a core requirement for providers who want to qualify to receive incentive payments under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs provisions authorized in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. HITECH was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will soon issue final regulations to implement the EHR incentive programs, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

On March 10, HHS issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) entitled Proposed Establishment of Certification Programs for Health Information Technology. The NPRM proposed the establishment of two certification programs for purposes of testing and certifying EHRs — one temporary and one permanent.  The temporary certification program final rule issued June 18 will become effective upon publication in the Federal Register, reportedly June 24. The final rule for the permanent certification program is expected to be published this fall, HHS says.

The opportunity to comment on the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) program proposed rule, which defines “meaningful use” of EHR technology and outlines provisions governing EHR incentives, ended March 15. Industry stakeholders, however, continue to voice their concerns about the criteria providers must meet to receive incentive payments, saying they are unrealistic and impossible for even the most sophisticated facilities to obtain. Read more »

Getting the health care industry to adopt electronic health records (EHR) may cost the government more than originally intended. That’s because the list of providers eligible to receive incentives for meaningful EHR use continues to grow. Read more »

A letter of comments sent by 96 specialty and state medical societies urges the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reconsider some aspects, saying the Stage 1 electronic health record (EHR) incentive program is too aggressive.

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Providers looking to claim a piece of the incentive pie for “meaningful use” of an electronic health record (EHR) system face a difficult decision—choosing EHR system software. Early adopters of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provision stand to gain the most, but haste makes waste. Before your practice signs an agreement with a vendor, take time to read the fine print. There are certain things to watch out for.

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