The American Hospital Association is urging the Office of the National Coordinator to reassess its rules on certification of electronic health records, according to a letter addressed to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
AHA says the requirement for hospitals to implement EHRs that are certified against all 24 objectives of meaningful use is inconsistent with the regulation that hospitals meet 19 of the 24 objectives in order to demonstrate meaningful use. "The interpretation of the amount of certified technology hospitals must have will delay many hospitals in their efforts to qualify as meaningful users of health IT and, therefore, receive incentive payments," said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock.
AHA has recommended two alternative regulatory interpretations to ensure compliance to ONC and CMS regulations, while giving hospitals flexibility in meeting meaningful use requirements. The first proposed interpretation clarifies the ONC certification rule, and the second proposed interpretation would clarify the CMS meaningful use regulation.
Read the AHA letter about EHR certification (pdf).
Read other coverage about EHR certification:
- CCHIT to Launch EHR Certification for Hospitals
- ONC Launches Comprehensive Certified EHR Product List
AHA says the requirement for hospitals to implement EHRs that are certified against all 24 objectives of meaningful use is inconsistent with the regulation that hospitals meet 19 of the 24 objectives in order to demonstrate meaningful use. "The interpretation of the amount of certified technology hospitals must have will delay many hospitals in their efforts to qualify as meaningful users of health IT and, therefore, receive incentive payments," said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock.
AHA has recommended two alternative regulatory interpretations to ensure compliance to ONC and CMS regulations, while giving hospitals flexibility in meeting meaningful use requirements. The first proposed interpretation clarifies the ONC certification rule, and the second proposed interpretation would clarify the CMS meaningful use regulation.
Read the AHA letter about EHR certification (pdf).
Read other coverage about EHR certification:
- CCHIT to Launch EHR Certification for Hospitals
- ONC Launches Comprehensive Certified EHR Product List