Expansion of CCHIT Certification to Professional Specialties, Care Settings, or Patient Populations Environmental Scan Data Report & Draft Expansion Roadmap

In response to requests to consider certification of electronic health records for specific medical specialties, settings or patient populations the Certification Commission of Health Information Technology (CCHIT) negotiated a modestly expanded scope of work and funding under its U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contract in October 2006. During a Town Call attended by more than 175 individuals on December 11, 2006, CCHIT announced its intentions, and explained its approach for making fair and objective decisions about which special areas would be placed on a roadmap for expanded certification. Advocates for the various special areas were then invited to provide input to an Environmental Scan from December 11, 2006, to January 12, 2007.

In response, 21 Environmental Scan forms were received, advocating for expansion to 14 additional specialties, care settings, or populations. CCHITs Draft Expansion Roadmap appears on page 12 of this document. While final dates for completing specialty certification development can not be firmly established, the Roadmap does indicate the relative priority judged by CCHIT for exploring and starting development of these various areas.