Pulse Patient Relationship Management Receives CCHIT Certification

WICHITA, Kan. - The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) declared the Pulse Patient Relationship Management V3.1.1, CCHIT Certified and meets CCHIT ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) criteria for 2006. The 2007 certification process begins in May and Pulse plans to be among the first companies to earn the 2007 certification. Ambulatory EHRs are designed for physician offices and clinics where most Americans get their health care. CCHIT is a Recognized Certification Body in the United States for certifying health information technology -- an independent, non-profit organization that sets the benchmark for electronic health records. As a CCHIT Certified product, Pulse Patient Relationship Management V3.1.1 has been tested and passed inspection of 100 percent of a set of criteria for functionality (ability to create and manage electronic records for all patients, as well as automating workflow in a physician's office), interoperability (the ability to receive and send electronic data to other entities such as laboratories), and security and reliability (ability to keep patients' information safe). The CCHIT Certified mark -- a seal of approval for EHR products -- provides a consensus-based benchmark for ambulatory products. "Physicians who purchase certified products have the assurance that they have been reviewed by a panel of judges, including practicing physicians, and that they are being evaluated against standards set by professionals in the field and successfully piloted with products from large and small companies," said Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., chair, CCHIT. "The quality and safety of EHR products can now be measured using certification criteria that were developed specifically for that purpose." The goals of CCHIT product certification are to reduce the risk of Health Information Technology (HIT) investment by physicians and other providers; ensure interoperability of HIT products; enhance the availability of HIT adoption incentives from purchasers and payers; and protect the privacy of personal health information. CCHIT's certification compliance criteria and its design for a certification inspection process have been researched, taking into account the state of the art EHRs and available standards, and comparing certification processes in other industries and other countries. The inspection process is based on real-life medical scenarios designed to test products against the clinical needs of providers and the quality and safety needs of healthcare consumers and payers.