The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has acknowledged some technical difficulties with one of the software tools that tests whether electronic health record systems meet the 2014 edition of certification criteria for Stage 2 of Meaningful Use.
Carol Bean, ONC's director of certification, sent a note to the Accredited Testing Laboratories (ATLs) and Authorized Certification Bodies (ACBs) Jan. 24 addressing the issue, an ONC spokesperson told FierceEMR. The problem involves the installation of the Transport Test Tool (TTT). The TTT is one of about 10 software testing tools used in this certification process, according to an iHealthBeat.org article.
There are two "manifestations" of the Transport Test Tool (TTT). One is hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and can be used remotely. The NIST-hosted TTT is functional and available, and has been since its release in mid-December, according to ONC. The other manifestation is a downloadable version designed for local use within an organization. The ATLs and ACBs have been running into installation difficulties with this downloadable version. According to ONC, the TTT was "complex" and difficult to install.
Bean informed the testing labs and certification bodies that ONC is taking steps to address these difficulties, including the development of documentation by the end of January that will help in the installation of the TTT, establishment of a helpline and a webinar to help vendors install the TTT, and fixes to the installation to be part of the regularly scheduled NIST update Feb. 15.
To learn more:
- read the iHealthBeat.org article