A group that certifies healthcare information technology products on Tuesday will announce the first set of vendors to achieve certification for electronic health records used in doctors’ offices and other ambulatory care settings.

More than 24 EHR vendors applied for certification from the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, a group that holds a federal contract to certify EHRs and the networks that connect them.

“We had good representation from a broad group of companies,” said Sue Reber, a spokeswoman for CCHIT.

The commission this week will also release updated certification criteria for ambulatory EHR’s and a first draft of criteria for inpatient EHRs to gain certification. The public will have 30 days to comment on the proposed criteria. CCHIT will hold a town call on Monday, July 24, to discuss the updates.

The government awarded the contract to CCHIT as a way to help healthcare providers make purchasing decisions. The hope is that certification will lead to increased adoption of IT tools in healthcare.
   
Earlier this summer, some EHR vendors complained that the $28,000 testing fees for certification are too high and could drive small EHR vendors out of business.

CCHIT Chairman Mark Leavitt has stressed that EHR certification is voluntary. Leavitt said earlier this summer that CCHIT was in talks with employers about helping to pay the vendors’ testing fees.