ONC Health IT Certification Program Updates (12/07/2018)

ONC Health IT Certification Program Updates 12/07/2018

Certification for 170.315(g)(1) automated numerator recording and (g)(2) automated measure calculation Note: Please note that this update replaces the previous update published on 10/26/18. The 170.315(g)(1) and (g)(2) test data for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (cEH/CAH) has been updated to denote that Required Tests 13, 14, and 15 are in draft format. Health IT developers will not be permitted to certify to these Required Tests while the test data are in draft format. ONC anticipates releasing updated and final test method documents for 170.315(g)(1) and (g)(2) for both EH/CAH and eligible professional/eligible clinician settings in early 2019. The CMS policy for hospitals and providers is that certification must be obtained prior to the end of the EHR reporting period. However, performing actions to meet Promoting Interoperability requirements must be completed using ONC’s standards for certification. Please see CMS FAQ 2893 for more information.

CHPL Data Challenge Winners Announced On December 6th, 2018, ONC announced the winners of the Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) Data Challenge. The ONC CHPL is the authoritative, comprehensive listing of all health IT products that have been tested and certified under the ONC Health IT Certification Program. Health IT products are listed on the CHPL after eligible components have been successfully tested by an ONC Authorized Testing Laboratory (ONC-ATL) and certified by an ONC Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB). The CHPL contains data on certified health IT that includes information on certification criteria to which the health IT has been certified, usability testing results, and surveillance activities, including any non-conformities to their corrective action plans/resolution. In the past, much of the data on testing and certification was provided in unstructured documents, making data analytics a more involved effort. In 2016, ONC changed the CHPL’s design in order to allow users of the CHPL to have better access to the data in structured, discrete formats. As part of the CHPL Data Challenge, all winning submissions showed how the CHPL data could be used and applied across the healthcare industry and provide CHPL users in novel ways to use the information. Additional information on the winning submissions can be found in the HHS December 6th Press Release.

Recently Updated Certification Companion Guides (CCGs) 2015 Edition Certification Companion Guides (CCGs) Criterion Number Criterion Title Details § 170.315(g)(1) Automated numerator recording • Modified the name of the Advancing Care Information Transition and Advancing Care Information measures to Promoting Interoperability Transition and Promoting Interoperability. • Modified the information on when actions must occur to populate the numerator for Promoting Interoperability measures starting in 2019 based on the 2019 PFS final rule. § 170.315(g)(2) Automated measure calculation • Modified the name of the Advancing Care Information Transition and Advancing Care Information measures to Promoting Interoperability Transition and Promoting Interoperability. • Modified the information on when actions must occur to populate the numerator for Promoting Interoperability measures starting in 2019 based on the 2019 PFS final rule.

Test Method Updates Recently Updated Test Data 2015 Edition Test Data Criterion Number Criterion Title Details § 170.315(g)(1) EH/CAH Automated numerator recording • Added a test data note outlining that the measure name changed and that no other changes were made to the test data for Required Test 2a, 2b, 2c, and 7. • Added general note 9 stating that Required Tests 13, 14, and 15 are draft. • Added general note 10 noting the Medicare Stage 3 measures that are only applicable in 2018. • Added general note 11 noting the Stage 3 measures that are only applicable starting in 2019. § 170.315(g)(2) EH/CAH Automated measure calculation • Added a test data note outlining that the measure name changed and that no other changes were made to the test data for Required Test 2a, 2b, 2c, and 7. • Added general note 9 stating that Required Tests 13, 14, and 15 are draft. • Added general note 10 noting the Medicare Stage 3 measures that are only applicable in 2018. • Added general note 11 noting the Stage 3 measures that are only applicable starting in 2019.

For more information, visit the ONC health IT testing and certification requirements or share your questions at ONC.Certification@hhs.gov.