[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 157 (Monday, August 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 54105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-19203]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Notice of Availability: Test Tools and Test Procedures Approved 
by the National Coordinator for the ONC Health IT Certification Program

AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information 
Technology (ONC), Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of test procedures and 
the Cypress version 3.0 test tool approved by the National Coordinator 
for Health Information Technology (the National Coordinator) for the 
testing of Health IT Modules to four 2015 Edition health information 
technology (health IT) certification criteria under the ONC Health IT 
Certification Program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alicia Morton, Director, Office of 
Certification, Office of the National Coordinator for Health 
Information Technology, 202-690-7151.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ONC Health IT Certification Program 
(``Program'') was first established as the Temporary Certification 
Program in a final rule published on June 24, 2010 (``Temporary 
Certification Program final rule'' (75 FR 36158)). It was later 
transitioned to the Permanent Certification Program in a final rule 
published on January 7, 2011 (``Permanent Certification Program final 
rule'' (76 FR 1262)). The Permanent Certification Program was renamed 
the ONC HIT Certification Program in a final rule published on 
September 4, 2012 (77 FR 54163) (``2014 Edition final rule''), and 
subsequently renamed the ONC Health IT Certification Program in a final 
rule published on October 16, 2015 (80 FR 62601) (``2015 Edition final 
rule''). In the preamble of the Permanent Certification Program final 
rule, we stated that when the National Coordinator for Health 
Information Technology (National Coordinator) has approved test tools 
and test procedures for certification criteria adopted by the 
Secretary, that ONC would publish a notice of availability in the 
Federal Register and identify the approved test tools and test 
procedures on the ONC Web site.
    In the 2015 Edition final rule, the Secretary adopted additional 
and revised certification criteria (80 FR 62601) and on February 4, 
2016, the National Coordinator approved test tools and test procedures 
for testing Health IT Modules for the majority of the 2015 Edition 
certification criteria under the ONC Health IT Certification Program. 
ONC then published the ``Notice of Availability: 2015 Edition Test 
Tools and Test Procedures Approved by the National Coordinator for the 
ONC Health IT Certification Program'' in the Federal Register (81 FR 
6022). However, that publication of approved test tools and test 
procedures did not include the 2015 Edition certification criteria 
specifically related to electronic clinical quality measurement (eCQM) 
in order to allow for alignment of those testing tools and test 
procedures with the timing of the CMS annual update of the eCQM 
specifications.
    The National Coordinator has recently approved the test tools and 
test procedures for testing Health IT modules for four 2015 Edition 
certification criteria related to clinical quality measurement. The 
approved test tools and test procedures for the 2015 Edition ``Clinical 
Quality Measures--record and export'' certification criterion (Sec.  
170.315(c)(1)), ``Clinical Quality Measures--import and calculate'' 
certification criterion (Sec.  170.315(c)(2)), ``Clinical Quality 
Measures--report'' certification criterion (Sec.  170.315(c)(3)), and 
the ``Clinical Quality Measures--filter'' certification criterion 
(Sec.  170.315(c)(4)) are identified on the ONC Web site at: https://www.healthit.gov/policy-researchers-implementers/2015-edition-test-method. The test tools and test procedures that were previously 
approved by the National Coordinator (81 FR 6022) for the 2015 Edition 
certification criteria are also available for review at the Web site 
listed above.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 300jj-11.

Karen B. DeSalvo,
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2016-19203 Filed 8-12-16; 8:45 am]
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