AUSTIN, TX – Weno Healthcare Inc. has applied to become a temporary electronic health record certification body and, if accepted, plans to shake up the competition.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) certainly did not count Weno as an early authorized testing and certification bodies (ONC-ATCB) candidate, said Tina Goodman, Weno's CEO, but she is confident Weno Healthcare Inc. meets all the requirements and level of preparedness required by ONC and she expects a decision by the end of September.

Weno publicly announced its August 20 application on Wednesday, following ONC's Monday naming of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) and the Drummond Group as the first authorized ATCBs.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, providers may receive federal incentives beginning next year for use of certified electronic health records in a specified "meaningful way."

According to Goodman, if Weno receives the nod, it will provide EHR vendors "lower costs and more straightforward approaches to the testing and certification process."

"The certification seal is not the final word on an EHR's ability to satisfy the customer; and it never will be," said Goodman. "There is much more going on with healthcare IT than can be tested in a lab. The customer service factor is a huge consideration that cannot be given a certification status."

Weno is accepting early applications for a quote and a no obligation placement on their waiting list, on a first come first serve basis, Goodman said. There will be no obligation to use Weno, and a non-refundable small application fee will be at risk if ONC ATCB status is not obtained.