The ONC & Health IT
What is the ONC?
The ONC refers to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, also known as ONCHIT. The ONC was founded in 2004 as part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and received a massive boost in funding under the economic stimulus plan (ARRA) of 2009. The office has been tasked with coordinating the implementation and use of health information technology under the EHR incentive plan.
What does The ONC mean to you?
ONC finalized the definition for stage 1 of Meaningful Use of electronic health record programs in the summer of 2010. ONC proposed stage 2 Meaningful Use criteria in January 2011 and will finalize both stage 2 and 3 criteria prior to the initiation of each stage.
Proof of Meaningful Use is required for practices and providers to receive $44,000 or more in incentives for using an electronic health record system. Practice Fusion complies with the certification standards developed by the ONC. Practice Fusion's EHR supports Meaningful Use criteria and can be used to qualify eligible providers for 2011 HITECH incentives.
HITECH Policy Information:
Learn more about ONC's Health IT Policy Committee
Practice Fusion's free EHR is ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified as a Complete EHR by Drummond Group, an ONC-ATCB approved to certify any complete or modular EHR both ambulatory and inpatient, in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the Department of Health and Human Services or guarantee the receipt of incentive payments. Practice Fusion version 2.0 was Stage 1 certified on June 2, 2011. The ONC certification ID number is 06022011-9528-6. Clinical Quality Measures tested: NQF0013, NQF0024, NQF0028, NQF0038, NQF0041, NQF0055, NQF0056, NQF0061, NQF0421. Additional software used: Surescripts, RxHub, Email.