The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT),
Chicago, Ill. and the Drummond Group Inc. (DGI), Austin, Texas, were
named today 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
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.
 
"Less than two months following the issuance of final meaningful use
rules, we have approved our initial ONC-ATCB certifiers.  EHR vendors
can begin immediately to get their products certified." said David
Blumenthal, M.D., national coordinator for Health Information
Technology.  This is a crucial step because it ensures that certified
EHR products will be available to support the achievement of the
required meaningful use objectives, that these products will be aligned
with one another on key standards, and that doctors and hospitals can
invest with confidence in these certified systems."