Posts Tagged ‘ONC’
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0 ONC Issues Final Rule for Permanent Certification Program for Health Information Technology
Jan 3, 2011. Press Releases.Steps to create permanent health IT certification program underway
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) today issued a final rule to establish the permanent certification program for health information technology. The permanent certification program provides new features that will enhance the certification of health information technology, including increasing the comprehensiveness, transparency, reliability, and efficiency of the current processes used for the certification of electronic health record (EHR) technology. Meaningful use of “Certified EHR Technology” is a core requirement for eligible health care providers who seek to qualify to receive incentive payments under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs as authorized by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.
“This final rule completes the two-phased approach ONC began with the proposed rule issued in Spring 2010 and includes several important improvements to our certification processes,” said David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P., national coordinator for health information technology. “Our goal is to make the transition to the permanent certification program as seamless as possible.”
The temporary certification program, established through a final rule published on June 24, 2010, will continue to be in effect until it sunsets on December 31, 2011, or at a later date when the processes necessary for the permanent certification program to operate are completed. ONC expects to stand-up the programmatic activities necessary to implement the permanent certification program throughout 2011.
Features of the permanent certification program include:
Organizations must first be accredited in order to test and/or certify health information technology;
Certification bodies authorized by the National Coordinator (ONC-Authorized Certification Bodies or ONC-ACBs) are required to conduct post-certification surveillance; and
ONC-ACBs are permitted to perform “gap certification.”As proposed, ONC will request that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through its National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) develop a laboratory accreditation program for organizations to be accredited to test health information technology for purposes of the permanent certification program. Based on NIST’s technical expertise and the strong relationship formed between ONC and NIST during the successful implementation of the temporary certification program, the use of NVLAP is expected to enhance testing under the permanent certification program and its objectivity overall.
This final rule is issued under the authority provided to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in section 3001(c)(5) of the Public Health Service Act, as added by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.
For more information about the permanent certification program and the final rule, please visit http://healthit.hhs.gov/certification.For more information about the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, please visit http://healthit.hhs.gov.
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0 CMS Announces Key Dates for EHR Incentive Programs In 2011
Dec 27, 2010. Implementation.Have you received your check from HITECH and ARRA stimulus yet? Many will, starting in 2011…
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0 Ingenix CareTracker Certification Helps Physicians Qualify for Health IT Incentives
Dec 27, 2010. Press Releases.EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) has certified that the Ingenix CareTracker™ electronic health records (EHR) system is a Complete EHR in accordance with the applicable Eligible Provider certification criteria adopted by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
“The more than 10,000 medical professionals who use Ingenix CareTracker software can be assured that their system supports their efforts to demonstrate meaningful use. As meaningful use requirements continue to evolve, our cloud-based system will enable Ingenix to provide system updates automatically for all users.”
The certification means that Ingenix CareTracker EHR technology meets the 2011/2012 criteria set forth by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to support the Stage 1 meaningful use measures that eligible providers must meet to qualify for funding as prescribed by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). CCHIT is an ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ATCB).
“Ingenix’s commitment to helping physicians improve care coordination, quality and safety through the use of health IT is reflected in the certification that CareTracker software supports requirements for meaningful use,” said Steve Tolle, senior vice president of physician solutions at Ingenix. “The more than 10,000 medical professionals who use Ingenix CareTracker software can be assured that their system supports their efforts to demonstrate meaningful use. As meaningful use requirements continue to evolve, our cloud-based system will enable Ingenix to provide system updates automatically for all users.”
“It is important that demonstrating meaningful use does not add to the administrative burden on physicians in small practices, even as federal incentives encourage and facilitate the purchase of health IT systems to improve quality and efficiency in patient care,” said Dr. Joseph Heyman, chairman of the Ingenix Physician Advisory Board. “It is my hope that the certification program will ensure that the technology itself will accomplish all required recording, calculating and reporting – with minimal intervention by the physician – and that all physicians and their patients will enjoy the potential benefits of this technology.”
Ingenix CareTracker version 7 received certification on December 7, 2010. The certification number is CC-1112-183916-2. The clinical quality measures to which Ingenix CareTracker version 7 has been certified include NQF 0013 (Hypertension: Blood Pressure Measurement), NQF 0024 (Weight Assessment and Counseling for Children and Adolescents), NQF 0028 (Preventive Care and Screening Measure Pair: a. Tobaccos Use Assessment, b. Tobacco Cessation Intervention), NQF 0031 (Breast Cancer Screening), NQF 0032 (Cervical Cancer Screening), NQF 0034 (Colorectal Cancer Screening), NQF 0038 (Childhood Immunization Status), NQF 0041 (Preventive Care and Screening: Influenza Immunization for Patients ≥ 50 Years Old) and NQF 0421 (Adult Weight Screening and Follow-Up). Additional software used in testing, included SureScripts prescription routing, medication history and drug formulary; Ingenix HealthTracker patient portal technology; and Wolters Kluwer Medi-Span drug information and drug interactions databases.
The ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that Complete EHRs meet all of the 2011/2012 criteria and EHR Modules meet one or more – but not all – of the criteria approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for either eligible provider or hospital technology. 2011/2012 certification conferred by CCHIT does not represent an endorsement of the certified EHR technology by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nor does it guarantee the receipt of incentive payments.
About Ingenix CareTracker
The Ingenix CareTracker solution includes a CCHIT Certified 2011 Ambulatory EHR system that saves physicians time and money by helping them access important clinical knowledge and patient medical information at the point of care. The solution enables clinicians to enter, retrieve and correlate patient information at the point of care, and features connections to thousands of labs, hospitals, pharmacies and commercial and government health plans. The Ingenix CareTracker solution fully integrates all of the operational functions of a physician practice, simplifying administrative tasks such as billing, scheduling and documentation.
Ingenix provides a package of interest-free financing and meaningful use guarantees that eliminate the up-front costs of implementing an EHR system. Because the Ingenix CareTracker EHR solution costs less than $5,000 per year per physician, federal stimulus funding may cover most or all of the subscription costs for the service through the end of the ARRA reimbursement period, depending on the composition of a physician’s patient mix.
For more information about Ingenix CareTracker solutions, visit www.ingenix.com/ehr.
About CCHIT
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the public mission of accelerating the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology. The Commission has been certifying electronic health record technology since 2006, and is an ONC-ATCB by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More information on CCHIT, CCHIT Certified® products and ONC-ATCB certified electronic health record technology is available at http://cchit.org.
“CCHIT®” and “CCHIT Certified®” are registered trademarks of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.
About Ingenix
Ingenix is a leading provider of health information, technology and consulting services. Organizations, institutions, businesses and government agencies that comprise the health care system depend on Ingenix solutions and insights to improve their performance. Visit www.ingenix.com for more information.
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0 Sage a Preferred Vendor of South Florida Regional Extension Center
Dec 16, 2010. Press Releases.TAMPA, FL–(Marketwire – December 14, 2010) – Sage Healthcare Division, a unit of Sage North America, announced today it has been named a preferred vendor by South Florida Regional Extension Center (REC). Sage will make the ONC-ATCB certified Sage Intergy Meaningful Use Edition available to the center’s thousands of participating healthcare providers throughout the eight-county region.
Sage Healthcare Division is a major provider of electronic health records (EHR) and practice management software and solutions, serving approximately 80,000 physicians in North America, and has been named a preferred EHR vendor for numerous RECs including New York eHealth Collaborative, Ohio Health Information Partnership, Missouri Health Information Technology Assistance Center and Massachusetts eHealth Institute.
Sage Intergy Meaningful Use Edition, a certified meaningful use software solution, is a comprehensive clinical, financial and administrative solution that empowers physicians to advance the quality and efficiency of care they deliver. The Sage Intergy family of products includes integrated practice management, electronic health records, clinical and business intelligence and a Web-based portal for online patient engagement. Providers can access Sage Intergy Meaningful Use Edition from multiple practice locations, from home, or other remote locations either through a central patient database server, or as a Sage-hosted solution on a monthly subscription basis.
Sage Intergy Meaningful Use Edition easily tracks the details of a patient’s clinical history, shares and manages clinical information and combines complex medical practice functions into easy-to-navigate menus. Sage Intergy features centralized financial operations including billing, reporting, task management, and fully integrates with EDI services, Sage Intergy Practice Portal, Sage Intergy RIS and Sage Practice Analytics.
The South Florida REC was formed to assist healthcare providers in adopting EHRs and achieve meaningful use. The Office of the National Coordinator tasked RECs with helping physicians adopt EHR systems and qualify for the financial incentives that come with achieving meaningful use standards.
South Florida REC will partner with physicians and practices to provide them subsidies, tools, services and EHR guidance. Providers may seek REC assistance for free. The REC is part of an extensive network of more than 60 Regional Extension Centers across North America that serves as a neutral source for EHR and health information technology (HIT) as providers seek to navigate EHR options and select vendors that meet meaningful use requirements.
“Sage continues its alignment with RECs to support the mission of serving all physicians as they move toward EHR adoption,” said Ken Ernsting, Vice President of Business Development for Sage Healthcare Division. “South Florida is among the group of exceptional organizations assisting physicians as they navigate the new and continually evolving healthcare economy.”
Clinics eligible to utilize South Florida REC’s subsidized services include Priority Primary Care Providers in the area of family medicine, obstetrics, and gynecology, general internal or pediatric medicine. In addition, practices must be either individual or a small group practices (defined as 10 or fewer professionals with prescriptive privileges in the practice) primarily focused on primary care; public and critical access hospitals; and community health centers and rural health clinics.
About South Florida Regional Extension Center
The South Florida Regional Extension Center (REC) was established to promote and facilitate the adoption of electronic health records by health care providers in eight Florida counties from Key West to Vero Beach. Funded through the Office of National Coordinator of Health Information Technology and coordinated by a collaboration of health organizations, the nonprofit South Florida REC has already enrolled hundreds of physicians and hopes to eventually serve 2,500 with assessment, qualified hardware and software vendors, cost discounts, training, support and maintenance.About Sage Healthcare Division
Sage Healthcare Division provides integrated electronic health records, EDI applications and practice management systems to approximately 80,000 physicians and thousands of ambulatory care practices throughout North America. These systems enable physicians and practice managers to better manage their practices and improve profitability. Sage Healthcare Division is based in Tampa, Fla., and is a division of Sage North America. For more information, please visit www.sagehealth.com or call (877) 932-6301.About Sage North America
Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs 4,000 people and supports 3.1 million small and midsized business customers, including medical practices in the United States. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 13,100 people and supports 6.2 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.sagenorthamerica.com.© 2010 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos, and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc. or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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0 SLI Global Solutions is approved by ONC for EHR testing
Dec 15, 2010. Press Releases.SLI Global Solutions Inc., has been selected by the Office of the National Coordinator as an Accredited Test and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB)
12.14.2010– DENVER, CO —SLI Global Solutions Inc., the trusted partner for quality assurance, testing and independent verification and validation services, has been selected by the Office of the National Coordinator as an Accredited Test and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) under the Temporary Certification Program Pursuant to 45 CFR Part 170, § 170.415.
“We are excited to support the ONC in this important program. SLI has partnered with Orion Registrar, Inc. (Orion) to form a consortium to deliver all ONC-ATCB services. This best-in-class solution combines SLI’s more than 14 years of experience testing software applications with Orion’s more than 10 years of experience with certifying organizations to various standards. This collaboration provides the requisite independence of testing and certification functions in accordance with ONC expectations.” Said Mark Phillips, Vice President of Quality Services for SLI Global Solutions.
SLI’s Corporate Quality System has been audited to and certified against ISO 9001:2008 standards of quality performance. SLI is also an accredited lab under the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This, coupled with extensive knowledge of health care IT systems makes SLI the right choice to provide a full range of Health IT Systems test, verification and certification services.
For a complete list of qualifications and registration of EHR testing visit: http://www.sliglobalsolutions.com/offerings/health-it
About SLI Global Solutions.
SLI Global Solutions helps customers around the globe manage their technology risk and investment. An ISO 9001:2008 certified recommended company, SLI’s industry-best people, process, technology, and customer service set the standard for excellence.Headquartered in Denver, Colorado USA, with project locations in capital cities within the US and internationally, SLI Global Solutions provides the highest standards of quality while offering innovative, cost-effective solutions in a highly-professional, client-focused atmosphere.
Since our founding in 1996 as SysTest Labs, SLI Global Solutions’ focus has been on helping customers build quality and innovation into their products and system implementations, while minimizing technology risk. Our competencies for managing technology risk are delivered in six areas: State and Local Government, Federal Government, Election Systems Certification Testing, Quality Assurance & Test, Health IT, and Emerging Media.
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1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Designates ICSA Labs an Authorized Testing and Certification Body
Dec 15, 2010. Press Releases.MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has designated ICSA Labs as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body for electronic health record products and solutions. The records are used to securely share patient information electronically between physicians, hospitals and other health care providers.
As an ONC-ATCB authorized lab, ICSA can now test and certify electronic health records products and solutions to verify that they meet the U.S. government’s mandated standards for meaningful use.
“For more than 20 years, ICSA Labs has been evaluating and certifying products and solutions,” said George Japak, managing director, ICSA Labs. “We are committed to helping companies find the most appropriate solutions. Nowhere is this more important than in the health care field, where electronic records contain sensitive and private patient information. With this authorization from the Office of the National Coordinator, we can begin to test electronic health records solutions and, through their widespread adoption, help to advance health IT.”
The authorization is the most recent designation earned by the company. ICSA Labs has achieved International Organizations for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2008 registration for quality management practices, and is also accredited for ISO/IEC 17025:2005 information security testing. Additionally, ICSA Labs is an accredited Cryptographic and Security Testing Lab under the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program.
For more information about its designation as an ONC-ATCB lab, please visit https://www.icsalabs.com/technology-program/onc-ehr.
About ICSA Labs
ICSA Labs, an independent division of Verizon Business, offers third-party testing and certification of security products and network-connected devices, such as printers and faxes, to measure product compliance, reliability and performance to many of the world’s top security vendors. Visit http://www.icsalabs.com and http://www.icsalabs.com/blogs for more information.
About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with one of the world’s most connected IP networks to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today’s extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees — enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world’s largest businesses and governments — including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions — rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.
Media contact:
Brianna Carroll Boyle
703-859-4251
brianna.boyle@verizon.comPosted from www.icsalabs.com
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1 ***Dec. 14th and 15th: Live 2010 ONC Update
Dec 14, 2010. Government Initiatives, News.Big day for Healthcare reform, The ONC, CMS and HHS…
The update will cover some of the most current issues in Medicare and Medicaid incentives, HITECH act and Health Information exchange. There will probably be some announcements that will steer the discussions in 2011.
Go To: http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/hhs/101214/default.cfm?test=0&live=1&type=flv
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1 ONC-ATCB Update: Certified EHR Product List (CHPL 1.0)
Dec 11, 2010. Government Initiatives, Implementation.The Office of the National Coordinator Certified Health IT Product List (ONC-ATCB CHPL) is constantly being updated with newly certified EHRs.
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2 InfoGard Laboratories: Security Specialists in HIT
Dec 2, 2010. News.
We thought we would take the time to run some background on the latest electronic medical record software certifying organization to appear on the ONC-CHPL, InfoGard. We wanted to figure out why they aren’t as prominent on the ONC-CHPL as Drummond and CCHIT. It was found that there is in fact good reason. Apparently, they are “kind of a big deal” in development of Meaningful Use guidelines…
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0 *Updated* MGMA Video Interviews @ EHRtv.com
Nov 22, 2010. Companies in Action, Spotlight, Today.
Dr. Fishman and the crew are back from MGMA AC10 with some insight on the EHR landscape. Below is a partial list of the exclusive interviews.
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