If you have been following the discussions regarding future Stimulus funding for HIT via the ARRA, then you know that within the legislation that was passed, there are two key variables as to what the feds will actually provide reimbursement for under the ARRA. The key phrase in the legislation basically states that reimbursement will be provided for the “meaningful use of certified EHRs.”
At the last HIT Policy Committee meeting on July 16th, the Meaningful Use workgroup presented the second iteration of their recommendations, which were subsequently adopted. During that meeting, the Certification workgroup presented their thoughts on which direction they believed “certification” of EHRs should head. Arguably one of the more significant statements the workgroup made (among many) was that certification should be pluralistic, thus not allowing any single entity (e.g., CCHIT) to be a choke-hold on certification. This was much to the chagrin to CCHIT and their close partner, HIT vendor organization HIMSS who have both advocated strongly for CCHIT to perform all certifications of EHRs.
Tomorrow, the HIT Policy Committee holds its next meeting. As July 16th’s focused on reaching consensus on Meaningful Use, it is expected that tomorrow’s primary focus is to reach consensus on the Certification process for EHRs. If what occurred for Meaningful Use is once again reflected in the Certification discussions, we can expect most of the guiding principles outlined in July to be further developed and by and large accepted. Chilmark Research will listen in on these discussions tomorrow and provide a wrap-up/assessment by the end of the day.
Note: We can not emphasize enough just how important these two terms (meaningful use & certified EHRs) are to the market. These terms will literally define the HIT market for the next decade and whether you are an HIT vendor or one looking to adopt an HIT solution, having a clear understanding of what these terms mean and their implications will be critical to your success.
Note that the Securities Acts of 1933 and 1934 defined a “pluralistic” approach to industry regulation, but only the NASD (now FINRA) has ever been established as an industry regulator. Just because legislation and regulations allow for CCHIT to have compition doesn’t mean that it will.