ehr onc final certification - Department of Health Care Services
ehr onc final certification - Department of Health Care Services
ehr onc final certification - Department of Health Care Services
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Response. We appreciate the constructive comments and recommendations<br />
provided by commenters. We address our adoption <strong>of</strong> the patient summary record<br />
standards in this <strong>certification</strong> criterion because we believe that it is the most applicable<br />
place to do so. Section 3004(b)(1) <strong>of</strong> the PHSA requires the Secretary to adopt an initial<br />
set <strong>of</strong> standards, implementation specifications, and <strong>certification</strong> criteria. Section<br />
3004(b)(2) <strong>of</strong> the PHSA provided the Secretary with additional flexibility in considering<br />
what standards, implementation specifications, and <strong>certification</strong> criteria to adopt in the<br />
initial set. Section 3004(b)(2) states that “[t]he standards, implementation specifications,<br />
and <strong>certification</strong> criteria adopted before the date <strong>of</strong> the enactment <strong>of</strong> this title through the<br />
process existing through the Office <strong>of</strong> the National Coordinator for <strong>Health</strong> Information<br />
Technology may be applied towards meeting the requirement <strong>of</strong> paragraph (1).”<br />
Accordingly, we looked at all <strong>of</strong> the standards, implementation specifications, and<br />
<strong>certification</strong> criteria recognized by the Secretary at any point in time prior to the<br />
enactment <strong>of</strong> the HITECH Act to determine whether they should be included in this<br />
initial set. Contrary to some commenters statements, the CCR patient summary record<br />
standard was in fact recognized by the Secretary in 2008 (73 FR 3976) as part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
HITSP Consumer Empowerment Interoperability Specification (HITSP V2.1 2007 IS03).<br />
We understand that in January, 2009, the Secretary recognized (74 FR 3604) an updated<br />
HITSP IS03 which removed the CCR standard. We do not believe that section<br />
3004(b)(2) precludes the Secretary from considering all possible standards that were part<br />
<strong>of</strong> the “prior process.” To the contrary, we believe the HITECH Act provided the<br />
Secretary with the authority and flexibility to determine which standards would be best to<br />
Page 152 <strong>of</strong> 228