ehr onc final certification - Department of Health Care Services

y the certification criteria for a Complete EHR. In other words, we would call HIT
tested and certified to one certification criterion an “EHR Module” and HIT tested and
certified to nine certification criteria an “EHR Module,” where ten certification criteria
are required for a Complete EHR. We have not made any changes to the definition of
EHR Module as a result of these comments or the comments addressed below.
Comment. One commenter asked whether we meant to include in the definition
of EHR Module “interfaces” that perform data mapping or transformation. The
commenter raised this question while noting that some organizations use multiple
interfaces to interconnect their HIT systems and that it would be an arduous task for these
organizations to ensure that all individual interfaces are certified. Another commenter
sought clarification regarding what we meant when we stated as an example in the
Interim Final Rule that EHR Modules could be “an interface or other software program
that provides the capability to exchange electronic health information.”
Response. As discussed above, to meet the definition of EHR Module, HIT
would need to provide a capability that could be tested and certified to at least one
certification criterion. If a certification criterion has therefore been adopted that requires
a particular capability for exchanging electronic health information, an interface or other
software program that provides that capability could be tested and certified as an EHR
Module. In many circumstances, an interface or program may provide valuable
functionality, but not a capability for which a certification criterion has been adopted.
For example, software implemented by an eligible professional that performs data
translation or mapping between two databases or data sets may provide critical
functionality, yet that software would not constitute an EHR Module. Similarly,
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