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How Valuable is Certification?


November 1, 2007

Sizing up the value of electronic health records certification is an issue provider organizations must consider when selecting new software. A debate on the value proposition at Health Data Management's Clinical Automation Summit reached no consensus. "We want you to make this an important part of your search function, but it doesn't replace due diligence," said Bambi Rose, certification manager at the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology. Organizations, she noted, still need to do their own usability tests, confirm vendors' financial status and check references.

Consultant Vince Ciotti of Santa Fe, N.M.-based HIS Professionals Inc. places little value on certification. When asked where he would rank certification in his 10 most important factors for choosing a vendor, he replied, "Probably 11 or 12."

Consultant Michael Mytych of Health Information Consulting in Menomonee Falls, Wis., wasn't as harsh. But he noted a CCHIT-certified ambulatory EHR vendor - AcerMed Inc. of Irvine, Calif. - recently shut its doors, so certification doesn't guarantee business viability. Certification, he added, "is a good starting point."

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