Mar

30

Q&A: Certification criteria for EHR incentive payments

By HIM Connection

Q: Do we know what will constitute a certified EHR that will qualify for incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009?

A: ARRA does not specify what certification will entail, nor does it identify what entity will grant certification. It does, however, state that the EHR must:

• Include patient demographic information and clinical health information
• Be able to capture quality information
• Be able to exchange health information with other sources
• Provide decision support for physician order entry

The Secretary of HHS will establish—through the rule-making process—an initial set of standards, implementation specifics, and certification criteria by December 31, according to ARRA.

Click here to view ARRA.