HHS Secretary Touts Value of Health IT Certification

The names of the first certified ambulatory electronic health record products in the country were announced July 18 at a press conference at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt told the audience it was a big day. "This is undoubtedly the most important thing that's happening in health care today. This is the center of the universe on health IT today," said Leavitt.

He added that certified health IT products are important to President Bush and that the government recognizes the value of certification. "If people want to do business with us (the federal government) in the long term, they need to achieve a level of interoperability, and it needs to be certified as such," he said.

A total of 18 products received full certification from the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, or CCHIT, the organization charged in September 2005 with developing a mechanism to certify health IT products. Two more products received conditional certification pending verification of their operational use in the marketplace.

According to a CCHIT press release, the CCHIT "seal of approval" provides the first consensus-based, consistent benchmark for ambulatory EHR products and reduces the risk to physicians purchasing EHRs. Certification criteria have been designed to ensure that products provide a broad foundation of functionality, and certified products must comply with 100 percent of CCHIT criteria. The next application period for vendors opens in August; application periods will continue on a quarterly basis.

In response to a question from the audience on the cost of certification to vendors, and ultimately to physicians and then consumers, HHS' Leavitt said, "The incremental increase in cost for a physician to have a certified system will be very small, but the incremental value it creates for patients and for medicine and health care in general cannot be measured."

Leavitt also acknowledged that the people who are expected to make the investment in EHRs -- physicians -- may not reap the financial benefit. "That dilemma is one we're having to deal with as a country," he said. "I feel confident that in time there will be ways in which society in general, and the government specifically, will find ways to help physicians adopt health IT."

Secretary Leavitt shared the podium with Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the CCHIT Board of Commissioners. In an interview after the announcement, Mark Leavitt applauded the Academy's leadership in the health IT arena and said, "FPs are leaders in investing in these products. We hope there is a ready audience for this information."

Today's announcement "is great news for family physicians because selecting an electronic health record has always been challenging, and it's carried a certain amount of risk. We think we're doing something here that will help (FPs) in their selection and help reduce the risk," he added.

Mark Leavitt noted that Academy EVP Douglas Henley, M.D., served as a charter commissioner of CCHIT prior to his appointment to the American Health Information Community, federally charted commission that provides input and recommendations to HHS about EHRs. He said countless other FPs are serving on CCHIT workgroups, as well.

"Both the organization (AAFP) and (those in) the profession (family physicians) have actively engaged in this process, and I think they are really a key part of the success that we're now looking forward to," said Mark Leavitt.

After the press conference, Steven Waldren, M.D., assistant director of the Academy's Center for Health Information Technology, or CHiT, and co-chair of CCHIT's ambulatory electronic health record functionality work group, said the Academy recognizes the accomplishment of the first companies to achieve product certification. But he cautions FPs to keep their eyes on the health IT market.

"This is another important piece of information as physicians search for the right EHR for their practice," he said. "It is important for physicians to understand that this is the first group to pass certification, and many vendors have not yet had the chance to be certified." He advised physicians to talk with potential vendors about their certification plans and to watch for educational materials the Academy is developing about CCHIT.