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ehr onc final certification - Department of Health Care Services

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e voluntary and would not be required for testing and certifying a Complete<br />

EHR or EHR Module. We believe that optional standards, implementation<br />

specifications, and <strong>certification</strong> criteria will also help better prepare the HIT<br />

industry for future mandatory <strong>certification</strong> requirements.<br />

• Standards and Backwards Compatibility. In previous rulemakings, specifically<br />

the Secretary’s adoption <strong>of</strong> electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) standards (70<br />

FR 67579) related to the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, HHS<br />

discussed a process to improve flexibility in regulatory requirements which<br />

involves “backwards compatibility.” HHS described backwards compatibility as<br />

meaning that a newer version <strong>of</strong> a standard retains at a minimum the full<br />

functionality <strong>of</strong> the version previously adopted in regulation, and that the newer<br />

version would permit the successful completion <strong>of</strong> the applicable transaction(s)<br />

with entities that continue to use the older version(s). HHS discussed that if a<br />

newer version <strong>of</strong> a standard were backward compatible with an adopted standard,<br />

it would be possible to pursue a more expedited approach to permit the utilization<br />

<strong>of</strong> the newer version while still remaining in compliance with the law. We<br />

believe that the approach established in the e-prescribing rulemaking could be<br />

leveraged in many situations for the standards and implementation specifications<br />

adopted for HIT <strong>certification</strong>. However, we note that this approach can only be<br />

implemented when a newer version <strong>of</strong> a standard is technically capable <strong>of</strong> fully<br />

functioning with the adopted version <strong>of</strong> the standard to conduct the specified<br />

transaction.<br />

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