AHA recommends more robust health IT testing, certification infrastructure

The AHA supports the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s proposal for more transparent surveillance of certified health IT products, and recommends that the agency prioritize actions that will increase confidence in the certified products, the association said in comments submitted yesterday. “Given the significant investments hospitals have made already, the AHA recommends a more robust testing and certification infrastructure as a starting point to improve the certification program,” wrote AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels. “Additionally, as part of the conformance testing infrastructure, the AHA renews the call for the federal government to support processes that permit the end user to access the testing infrastructure.” Among other actions, AHA recommends ONC and its authorized certification bodies “establish a process in which providers can offer feedback on certified health IT.”