WASHINGTON -- July 18, 2006 -- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt announced today that the first ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) products have been certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHITSM). Twenty EHR products achieved CCHIT CertifiedSM status after undergoing inspections that demonstrated their compliance with CCHIT?s published criteria. Inspections are continuing, with additional results to be announced at the end of July and quarterly thereafter.

"This seal of certification removes a significant barrier to wide-spread adoption of electronic health records. It gives healthcare providers peace of mind to know they are purchasing a product that is functional, interoperable and will bring higher quality, safer care to patients," Secretary Leavitt said.

The CCHIT CertifiedSM mark--a "seal of approval"--provides the first consensus-based, consistent benchmark for ambulatory EHR products. By looking to products with the CCHIT Certified seal, physicians can reduce their risk when investing in this technology. The certification criteria have been designed to ensure that products provide a broad foundation of functionality, will evolve to be interoperable with other systems, and include security features that protect the privacy of personal health information. To be certified, a product must comply with 100 percent of the CCHIT criteria.

"CCHIT has simplified the selection process for physicians," said John Tooker, M.D., MBA, Executive Vice President/CEO, American College of Physicians. "We believe our constituents--and the entire healthcare community--should look to certification to help ensure their EHR needs are met today and to lay the groundwork for future interoperability."

HHS awarded CCHIT a three-year contract in September 2005 to develop and evaluate criteria and an inspection process leading to certification of the first ambulatory (office- and clinic-based) EHRs, followed by inpatient (hospital) EHRs and networks over which they interoperate. The mission of CCHIT, a private-sector, voluntary certification body, is to accelerate adoption of health information technology to improve U.S. healthcare.

CCHIT has received the endorsements of a number of professional medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Physicians (ACP), the Physicians' Foundation for Health Systems Excellence and Physicians' Foundation for Health Systems Innovation. In addition, the American Health Information Community (the Community), a federally-chartered commission led by Secretary Leavitt, unanimously adopted all CCHIT criteria for certification of ambulatory EHRs at its May 16, 2006, meeting.

"CCHIT has achieved this important milestone thanks to contributions by our volunteers and from constructive engagement by stakeholders throughout the industry," said Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., chair, CCHIT (no relation to Secretary Leavitt). "We encourage physicians to look for the CCHIT seal when purchasing EHR products for their offices, and we will move forward to bring certification assurance to the inpatient and network domains in the years to come."

CCHIT will open for vendor applications quarterly, with the next application period in August.