Electronic Health Reporter

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) announced that it is winding down all operations beginning immediately. All customers and business colleagues have been notified, CCHIT staff is assisting in transitions, and all work will be ended by Nov. 14, 2014.

Founded in 2004, CCHIT provided certification services for health IT products and education for healthcare providers and IT developers. Five years prior to the passage of the HITECH Act which enabled today’s Office of the National Coordinator certification programs, CCHIT worked in public-private collaboration to pioneer the design, development and implementation of health IT testing and certification programs.

“We are concluding our operations with pride in what has been accomplished”, said Alisa Ray, CCHIT executive director in a statement. “For the past decade CCHIT has been the leader in certification services, supported by our loyal volunteers, the contribution of our boards of trustees and commissioners, and our dedicated staff. We have worked effectively in the private and public sectors to advance our mission of accelerating the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology. We have served hundreds of health IT developers and provided valuable education to our healthcare provider stakeholders.”

“Though CCHIT attained self-sustainability as a private independent certification body and continued to thrive as an authorized ONC testing and certification body, the slowing of the pace of ONC 2014 Edition certification and the unreliable timing of future federal health IT program requirements made program and business planning for new services uncertain. CCHIT’s trustees decided that, in the current environment, operations should be carefully brought to a close”, said Ray.

As a 503 c(3) nonprofit organization, CCHIT’s trustees decided to donate its remaining assets, primarily its intellectual property, to the HIMSS Foundation.

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