EHNAC adopts new accreditation programs standards

The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) this week released the final 2016 criteria versions for 18 accreditation programs.

The standards development organization provides guidelines with regards to the electronic exchange of health-care data and recognizes companies that are dedicated to implementing the best practices, protecting private and confidential information, and meeting federal and state regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA).

EHNAC has created upgraded criteria versions for the Accountable Care Organization Accreditation Program, Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program for Certificate Authorities, Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program for Health Information Service Providers, Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program for Registration Authorities, e-Prescribing Accreditation Program, Electronic Prescription of Controlled Substances Certification Program – Pharmacy Vendor, Electronic Prescription of Controlled Substances Certification Program – Prescribing Vendor, Financial Services Accreditation Program for Electronic Health Networks, Financial Services Accreditation Program for Lockbox Services, Health Information Exchange Accreditation Program, Healthcare Network Accreditation Program for Electronic Health Networks, Healthcare Network Accreditation Program for Medical Billers, Healthcare Network Accreditation Program for Third Party Administrators, Management Service Organization Accreditation Program and Practice Management System Accreditation Program.

An enhanced version of the Outsourced Services Accreditation Program, consisting of 11 different accreditation programs such as those for call centers and accountable care organizations, was also adopted.

Besides the aforementioned programs, whose updated criteria was partially based on public feedback, EHNAC has developed standards for two new accreditation programs. The first, the Cloud Enabled Accreditation Program, is offered as an add-on program for organizations that have applied for another program. The cloud service provider also has to be FedRAMP-certified. The second, the Data Registry Accreditation Program, was created to promote privacy and security among data registry stakeholders handling protected health information.