The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) is developing a dermatology-specific electronic health records certification program for 2010.
CCHIT officials say dermatology-specific criteria can facilitate EHR care coordination between and among dermatologists and non-dermatologist physicians.
"Beginning in 2006, CCHIT has placed a 'seal of approval' on physician office-based EHR products to indicate that the system has met rigorous functionality, interoperability and security criteria for primary care, child health and cardiology," said C. William Hanke, MD, president of the American Academy of Dermatology. "The American Academy of Dermatology is pleased that the unique needs of dermatologists – who use digital images and body mapping to track patient health – will be recognized."
"This will be a service to the healthcare community as it continues to transition to a system that relies on electronic health records and the smooth and secure interchange of data. Dermatologists are committed to helping create functional criteria and technical elements that also will help many different physician specialties," said Hanke.
The CCHIT will appoint a work group of volunteer providers, payers, healthcare IT vendors and other stakeholders to define those functions that will best help dermatologists enhance patient care quality and safety, improve practice efficiency, participate in clinical research and maintain board certification.
The CCHIT's decision was in part a response to an application from the American Academy of Dermatology with support from the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, the American Telemedicine Association, the Medical Dermatology Society and the Society for Investigative Dermatology as well as the dermatology community and other key stakeholders.
