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What Resellers Should Know about EHR Certification 

Medical resellers understand the buzz with EHR and how critical it is to have an EHR in the product portfolio.  Yet few resellers have the resources to keep up with the dizzying array of federal government initiatives designed to promote EHR.  So we will explore just one of these efforts, EHR Certification, what you should know about it, and why it may be critical to your business. 

The Grand Vision.  President Bush’s grand vision (and a rare area with bi-partisan support) is that all doctors and hospitals should have “interoperable” EHR systems in 8 years.  But what should these systems do, and how will they interconnect?  One reason for physician resistance to EHR is that they are concerned that a system they buy will be incompatible with a future government standard.  So, President Bush believes that if we create clear standards now, and certify that products meet these standards, risk will be reduced and physicians and hospitals will buy.  The president wants the equivalent of a “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval” for EHRs. 

Free Market Approach.  Since the President believes in the “free market” as opposed to “big government”, rather than write a federal regulation the President’s people have funded an independent entity, CCHIT - The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, with $7.5 million to create a certification program.  The idea is that CCHIT must create a “commercially viable” certification process (read: vendors must pay to play).  EHR vendor participation will be optional. 

The theory is that vendors will covet this certification, enhance their product to meet the specification, and pay the obligatory certification fee.  Physicians and hospitals will then discover newfound confidence, and start buying these products in increasing quantity, to the delight of the vendors.  Payers will then get excited about all of the quality improvement they notice and start offering financial incentives to physicians for EHR adoption, further expanding the market and delighting vendors.  (Government theory, not the author’s projection.) 

The Proposed Certification Criteria.  You can look at CCHIT's Final Proposed Criteria here, but look fast because this link will be updated soon.  From here you can download three Excel spreadsheets detailing EHR requirements for functionality, interoperability, and security and reliability.  Get a cup of coffee, because you will need to digest 176 requirements for calendar year 2006, another 96 for 2007, and 67 more for 2008.  The commission has detailed their 3-year “roadmap” for an industry-wide movement toward interoperability. 

What’s Next.  CCHIT’s 47 page PowerPoint Status Report informs us that on March 3, 2006 a draft of the “Commercial Certification Handbook” for vendors will be available.  This will include cost, procedures, and other requirements.  During March you will be able to comment, and by April 24, 2006 they will come up with the final – final version.  Vendors may apply for certification by late April 2006 and the first certified products will be announced in June 2006. 

Reseller Game Plan.  What does all of this mean for resellers?  No one can say for sure, because by definition, a “free market” certification approach could fail.  But it is obvious that it would better to be selling a certified solution than one that is not.  If you are already reselling an EHR, check with your vendor regarding their plans for certification.  Bookmark the CCHIT page to stay abreast on developments.  Watch the tea leaves, because this certification hurtle could be one phase of the inevitable market shakeout – some vendors will not meet the certification standards and could fail – and you may need to find a new horse and come up with a plan for any existing clients. If later this year you are selling a certified solution,  by all means promote this to your prospective clients, and test the government theory that certification is a magic bullet which gives buyers confidence to open their checkbooks.

For more information on EHR training for Medical VARs, e-mail Gary Pritts at: gpritts@eagleconsultingpartners.com

Gary Pritts is not affiliated with InvestMed; he is a healthcare, business and information systems consultant with 25 years of experience.  To contact Gary with questions about this article or HIPAA in general, visit his website at:  www.eagleconsultingpartners.com