The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is always on the lookout for ways to improve the ONC Health IT Certification Program’s efficiency and reduce burden on health information technology (health IT) users and health IT developers.  Whether it is making certification criteria clarifications clearer and more rapidly accessible through the Certification Companion Guides, or offering more flexible certification options through rulemaking, ONC looks to achieve its mission in the most nimble way possible while still serving the needs of patients,

Throughout its seven-year history, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) Health IT Certification Program (Program) has evolved in many ways, including improvements that enhanced the Program’s integrity, transparency, and efficiency. Central to the Program’s administration is the use of electronic, automated testing tools for health information technology (health IT). These tools enable health IT to be repeatedly and rigorously tested relative to its ability to accurately create standardized data files and perform interoperability oriented transactions.

Two years ago the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published a notice in the Federal Register (and accompanying blog post) that restated the ONC Health IT Certification Program’s (Program’s) open policy regarding the submission of testing methods for approval under the Program.