Expect "a burst of innovation" over the next nine months as dozens--perhaps hundreds--of new EMR vendors enter the marketplace or upgrade their products to meet national certification standards, Dr. Mark Leavitt, chairman of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, told a room packed with more than a thousand attendees at the AHIMA Convention Monday in Grapevine, Texas.
Levitt cited a recent one-day meeting his organization held with vendors. CCHIT expected about 150 to 200 vendors to show up, and was overwhelmed when some 320 vendors packed into the room.
"We had to turn people away," he said. CCHIT is rolling out two new EMR certification programs, and will begin accepting applications from vendors Oct. 7.