The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has received approval from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to serve another three-year term as the ONC-Approved Accreditor (ONC-AA) for the HIT Certification Program, according to a statement by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).
The first three-year term for ANSI was set by law to conclude next month having served as the ONC-AA since June 2011. Earlier this year, Acting National Coordinator Jacob Reider, MD, announced a 30-day period of requests for ONC-AA status in the Federal Register “ensure the continuity of the accreditation process and the ongoing responsibilities of the ONC-AA under the ONC HIT Certification Program.” That notice included five criteria an organization seeking ONC-AA status needed to demonstrate to receive approval.
According to the announcement, ANSI’s approval as the ONC-AA followed a competitive evaluation process, including an ISO/IEC 17011 conformity assessment for accreditation bodies and the requirements of ISO Guide 65 governing bodies operating product certification systems.
The ONC-AA is responsible for accrediting organizations seeking to serve as ONC-Authorized Certification Bodies (ONC-ACBs) which as part of the HIT Certification Program certify EHR technology for the EHR Incentive Programs.
Without certified EHR technology (CEHRT), eligible hospitals (EHs) and professionals (EPs) are unable to demonstrate meaningful use successfully. The ONC is responsible for overseeing the EHR certification component of meaningful use whereas the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) handles the requirements that eligible providers must meet in the use of these certified EHR systems.
