CERTIFICATION COMMISSION FOR HEALTHCARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NAMES INAUGURAL SLATE OF COMMISSIONERS

CHICAGO, September 1—The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, formed by three leading healthcare organizations to create an efficient, impartial and trusted mechanism to certify ambulatory electronic health records and other healthcare information technology (IT) products, has appointed its initial slate of commissioners.

The commissioners, who will serve one-year terms, represent three primary stakeholders: providers that purchase healthcare IT products; vendors that develop, market, install and support these systems; and purchasers or payers that are prepared to offer incentives and support for healthcare IT adoption. The commissioners are:

• C. Martin Harris, MD, Chief Information Officer, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• Douglas E. Henley, MD, Executive Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer, American Academy of Family Physicians
• John Hummel, Senior Vice President, Information Systems, and Corporate Chief Information Officer, Sutter Health
• Charles Kennedy, MD, Vice-President of Clinical Informatics, WellPoint Health Networks Inc.
• Graham O. King, Strategic Advisor, McKesson Corporation
• Mark Leavitt, MD, PhD, Commission Chair and Medical Director, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
• Jane B. Metzger, Vice President, First Consulting Group
• Susan N. Postal, Vice President, Health Information Management Services, Hospital Corporation of America
• Wes Rishel, Research Director, Gartner, Inc.
• John Tooker, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, American College of Physicians
• Reed Tuckson, MD, Senior Vice President, Consumer Health and Medical Care Advancement, United Health Group
• Andy Ury, MD, Chief Executive officer, Physician Micro Systems, Inc.

Non-voting, ex officio members are:

• Lori Evans, Office of the National Health Information Technology Coordinator
• Clay Ackerly, Special Assistant to the Administrator for HIT, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

To encourage the adoption of healthcare IT for improving care and efficiency, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (Alliance) formed the certification commission in July and are providing the initial funding and staff. Through voluntary certification of products, the commission aims to reduce the risk of IT investment by healthcare providers while ensuring interoperability of healthcare IT products with emerging local and national health information infrastructures.

“Certification will go a long way towards ensuring that healthcare IT systems deliver the benefits that providers need and expect,” says Mark Leavitt, MD, chairman of the certification commission and medical director for HIMSS. “At the same time, certification will provide the clear definition of product capabilities and compatibilities that payers, healthcare purchasers and government officials will demand as a prerequisite to large-scale investments in these systems.”

At their first meeting on September 14 in Chicago, the commissioners will start developing certification policies, procedures and criteria. They will begin establishing work groups and panels to secure technical and advisory support. The commission’s goal is to have initial certification requirements and processes ready for testing by summer 2005.

About AHIMA
AHIMA is the national association of health information management (HIM) professionals. AHIMA's 53,000 members are dedicated to the effective management of personal health information needed to deliver quality healthcare to the public. Founded in 1928 to improve the quality of medical records, AHIMA is committed to advancing the HIM profession in an increasingly electronic and global environment through leadership in advocacy, education, certification, and lifelong learning. For information about the Association, go to www.ahima.org.

About HIMSS
HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology and management systems for the betterment of human health. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., and other locations across the country, HIMSS represents more than 14,000 individual members and some 220 member corporations that employ more than 1 million people. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives to promote information and management systems' contributions to ensuring quality patient care. Visit www.himss.org for more information.

About The Alliance
The National Alliance for Health Information Technology is a diverse partnership of leaders from all healthcare sectors working to advance the adoption and implementation of healthcare information technology to achieve measurable improvements in patient safety, quality of care and operating performance. The Alliance works with healthcare and government leaders to help shape the policy environment and accelerate the implementation of world-class, standards-based information technology aimed at creating the most effective, safe, unified, and inclusive health system possible. Since its founding in 2002, the Chicago-based Alliance has helped forge consensus and advance progress on such important initiatives as barcodes and electronic health records. More information about the Alliance is available at www.nahit.org.