Federal HIT leaders are planning to set up a voluntary program for testing and certification of EMRs used by behavioral health, long-term care and post-acute care, according to a story in Modern Healthcare.
As things currently stand, they’re off the hook, as ARRA doesn’t require long-term or behavioral health facilities to buy certified EMRs.
These plans came to light last week at a webinar held by outgoing ONC head Farzad Mostashari, who said that his office is working on what the scope of such a program should be, MH reports. The webinar was held to discuss government officials’ reaction to public comments on how to improve interoperability.
In its original request for input, federal regulators noted that 4 in 10 hospitals were sending lab and radiology information to outside providers, though only one in four were exchanging medication lists and clinical summaries, Modern Healthcare said.
Meanwhile, only 6 percent of long-term acute-care hospitals, 4 percent of rehab hospitals and 2 percent of psychiatric hospitals had even a basic EMR, the feds reported.
Launching these specialty-focused options seems like a logical next step for the certification program, and a long-delayed one at that. EMR certification has been a fact of life for several years, since then-ONC chief David Brailer kicked off the formation of the CCHIT.
Over the long haul, however, such new certification options may not be worth much unless they’re better matched to provider needs. My colleague John, for one, thinks the certification will have to change to actually offer value to doctors and healthcare organizations.
What do you think, readers? Do you think certification programs for EMRs are a waste of time, or do you see them doing anything meaningful to improve care?
