Certification Commission for Health Information Technology

Certification Commission for Health Information Technology
Name	Certification Commission for Health Information Technology
Abbreviation	CCHIT
Formation	2004
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Region served	United States

Certification Commission for Health Information Technology was a nonprofit organization established to evaluate and certify health information technology products for use in clinical settings. It operated at the intersection of federal policy initiatives such as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and standards bodies like Health Level Seven International and National Institute of Standards and Technology, working with stakeholders from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and private-sector entities including American Medical Association and American Hospital Association. The commission's activities influenced procurement decisions by organizations such as Veterans Health Administration and Kaiser Permanente and intersected with legal frameworks like the HITECH Act and initiatives from Department of Health and Human Services.

History

CCHIT was founded in 2004 amid discussions involving Robert L. Kocher, David J. Brailer, and industry representatives from Cerner Corporation, Epic Systems, and Allscripts; early endorsements came from Physician Practice Management Association and National Governors Association. In 2006 CCHIT began formal certification programs after convening panels with standards organizations such as ISO and ANSI, and it expanded amid the policy shifts driven by the Medicare Modernization Act and the later HITECH Act. During the 2009 stimulus era, CCHIT coordinated with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to align certification criteria with meaningful use stages promulgated by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and advisory input from President Barack Obama administration officials. By the 2010s the commission faced competition and policy changes that led to shifting roles as seen in interactions with Direct Project participants and the emergence of accredited bodies recognized by ONC-Authorized Certification Bodies. CCHIT wound down core operations after reassessments tied to the evolving regulatory architecture under successive administrations including Donald Trump.

Structure and Governance

CCHIT was governed by a board consisting of representatives from organizations such as American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Hospital Association, and stakeholders from National Institute of Standards and Technology-aligned consultative groups. Technical advisory panels drew experts affiliated with Harvard Medical School, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Cleveland Clinic to evaluate interoperability, privacy, and security criteria. Funding and oversight came through partnerships with foundations like Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and contracts that interfaced with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services procurement rules. The commission employed committees patterned after standards processes used by Health Level Seven International and IETF to produce testing protocols and hearing procedures consistent with practices from Federal Communications Commission rulemaking and National Academy of Medicine recommendations.

Certification Programs and Criteria

CCHIT developed certification criteria addressing functions such as electronic prescribing, clinical decision support, and interoperability based on input from American Medical Informatics Association panels and technical standards promulgated by HL7, IHE, and NIST. Certification tracks included ambulatory, inpatient, and specialty modules that evaluated conformance to criteria influenced by the Medication Management Systems standards and the Direct Project messaging specifications. Testing leveraged laboratories and conformance tools associated with vendors like Oracle Corporation and IBM and employed methodologies similar to those used by Underwriters Laboratories for safety certification. Criteria evolved through public comment periods akin to procedures used by Federal Trade Commission rule proposals and incorporated privacy controls referenced in Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act guidance.

Role in U.S. Health IT Policy

CCHIT functioned as a key intermediary between policymakers at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and industry participants such as Epic Systems and Cerner Corporation, helping operationalize policy goals from the HITECH Act and meaningful use regulations. Its certification marks informed procurement decisions by entities like Department of Veterans Affairs and influenced program eligibility criteria connected to Medicare and Medicaid incentive structures. CCHIT’s work intersected with standards development by Health Level Seven International and testing frameworks promoted by National Institute of Standards and Technology, shaping how federal agencies defined compliance and interoperability expectations. The commission participated in advisory processes alongside bodies such as the National Coordinator Advisory Committee and contributed to cross-agency dialogues involving Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Food and Drug Administration on digital health product oversight.

Impact and Criticism

CCHIT accelerated adoption of certified electronic health record systems among purchasers including Community Health Centers and large integrated systems like Kaiser Permanente, and it influenced vendor roadmaps at firms such as Allscripts and NextGen Healthcare. Critics from organizations like Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and some independent developers argued that certification criteria favored large vendors and raised barriers for small innovators, echoing concerns voiced by Electronic Frontier Foundation and trade groups such as National Small Business Association. Academic analyses from institutions including Stanford University, Columbia University, and University of California, San Francisco highlighted tensions between prescriptive testing and rapid innovation, while policy reviewers at Government Accountability Office examined certification impacts on program integrity and vendor behavior.

Notable Certifications and Certified Products

CCHIT certified a range of products across ambulatory and inpatient categories, including widely deployed systems from Epic Systems, Cerner Corporation, Allscripts, MEDITECH, and eClinicalWorks. Specialized certifications covered electronic prescribing modules used by vendors such as DrFirst and decision support tools integrated into offerings from Wolters Kluwer Health and Elsevier clinical solutions. Certification status often featured in procurement briefs from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and quality improvement programs at institutions like Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, influencing adoption of certified modules for medication safety, immunization registries, and public health reporting connected to state health departments and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance efforts.

Category:Health information technology organizations Category:Medical certification organizations Category:Defunct organizations based in Illinois