In October 2022, to complement ONC’s recommendations for the voluntary certification of health IT for pediatric care, Drummond Group LLC Program, has unveiled its new Pediatrics Health IT Certification Program. Drummond Group LLC was made the leading certifying body for the The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) new Health IT Certification Program.
The software contains test interpretations of the suggestions, providing a neutral and unbiased way to assess the support provided by EHR vendors. Despite common belief that having the same EHR vendor near enough guarantee’s operability, this is far from the case. A study from JAMIA released in January 2022 portrayed that although the likelihood of intra operability occurring between entities with the same vendor, it is not by any means a guarantee. Drummond Group recently finished a program pilot utilizing three prominent health IT vendors, in addition to another project to examine the program with Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
The president of Drummond Group explained the premise of the new program, explaining: “This new program advances pediatric EHR capabilities for health IT developers, practitioners, and pediatric-focused health IT researchers to deliver societal value to children and their parents. In addition, it will help fulfill the original US Congressional mandate for the voluntary certification of pediatrics health IT and build on ONC pediatric initiatives.”
Vendors may also opt to undergo examination against sets of additional test criteria to add to the mandatory requirements that health IT developers must carry out to receive Drummond’s pediatric EHR certification. With regard to pediatrics prescription management, new-born care and screening, well-childcare, quality reporting, care team/planning, vaccines, and data security and privacy, these extra requirements known as “advanced badges” have special functionality.
Sandy L. Chung, MD, president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), commented on the program, stating: “Pediatricians and all clinicians who care for children need tools designed to meet the unique needs of their patients. Pediatric certification of EHRs is an important step toward ensuring all infants, children, and adolescents receive the right care every time.”
