Technology: Should Your EMR Be Certified?
Some applaud the effort to endorse EMR systems; others criticize. What does it mean for you?
By Bob Redling Still waiting to buy an EMR? A recently formed nonprofit organization thinks it’s come up with a way to help you sort the technological wheat from the chaff.
But does the stamp-of-approval process devised by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) really make life easier for busy practices — or does it, as some say, provide you with misleading information while unfairly excluding vendors whose products might be perfect for you?
The commission’s certification process aims to remove the risk that a newly purchased EMR won’t be able to perform all the functions the sales rep promised. It also hopes to guide physicians to systems that are capable of measuring and reporting quality indicators for pay-for-performance incentive programs.
Though launched in 2004 with seed money from several associations, CCHIT is private, and the certification process is voluntary. An EMR system earns certification only after a team of experts, each including at least one practicing physician, puts the software through its paces. In its first year, the commission has certified more than 80 products. Continued...
