CCHIT: Don’t buy a new EHR just yet

Healthcare systems running on legacy software, customized commercial products or homegrown EHR systems that would cost hundreds of millions to replace can breath a sigh of relief, according to CCHIT. That's because the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology claims that some healthcare organizations, particularly teaching hospitals, have discovered that certifying their own system through a special CCHIT program is the best alternative. CCHIT announced last week that five new organizations joined Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in certifying complete or modular EHRs under its EHR Alternative Certification for Healthcare Providers, or EACH, an ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program for already-installed EHR technology. They are: Health Management Associates, New York University Langone Medical Center, Northwestern University, Tenet Healthsystem Medical and the University of North Carolina Health Care.