The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT), a nonprofit organization, has developed a specific criterion for evaluating electronic health records. It’s a way to know if an electronic health record (EHR) system would actually perform as good as, if not better than, the vendor promised. Call it a sort of Good Housekeeping seal of approval.  

Many doctors are daunted by the sheer volume of EHRs available and fear they might invest in a product that ultimately won’t perform as advertised.

By testing and certifying the EHRs, the CCHIT is taking some of the guesswork out of choosing an electronic health system. CCHIT is constantly evolving its testing to ensure accurate results. They do this by using information from work groups of doctors and experts in the health IT field.

To be certified by CCHIT, a vendor must first submit its electronic health record product to the CCHIT. From there CCHIT tests the product at live sites. During testing, the CCHIT evaluates whether the product meets their criteria for functionality, interoperability and security. They also rate an EHRs usability.

With testing for Ambulatory, Inpatient, Emergency Dept, Behavioral and Long-Term Care EHRs along with e-prescribing systems, the CCHIT makes every effort to give doctors peace of mind. It is a lot easier to invest in an EHR if it has proven it will perform. 

Recently, Ingenix Care Tracker was certified CCHIT 2011. Some other examples of CCHIT certified EHRs are 2011 Pulse Complete EHR and NextGen Inpatient Clinicals 2.3.