FARMINGTON, Conn., Sept. 24, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body, announced today that it has posted new versions of program criteria for public review. EHNAC seeks interested parties to provide opinions, comments and suggestions for the upgraded 2013 criteria versions that have been developed for each of EHNAC's accreditation programs with regard to the necessity, appropriateness and workability of the criteria versions proposed for adoption.
The open process for adopting criteria will last 60 days, commencing on Sept. 24, 2013 and ending on Nov. 25, 2013. Below is a listing of the fourteen affected programs:
- DTAAP-CA – Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program for Certificate Authorities (V1.1)
- DTAAP-HISP – Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program for Health Information Service Providers (V1.1)
- DTAAP-RA – Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program for Registration Authorities (V1.1)
- ePAP-EHN – e-Prescribing Accreditation Program (V6.6)
- EPCSCP-Pharmacy – Electronic Prescription of Controlled Substances Certification Program – Pharmacy Vendor1 (V1.2)
- EPCSCP-Prescribing – Electronic Prescription of Controlled Substances Certification Program – Prescribing Vendor1 (V1.2)
- FSAP-EHN – Financial Services Accreditation Program for Electronic Health Networks (V2.6)
- FSAP-Lockbox – Financial Services Accreditation Program for Lockbox Services (V2.6)
- HIEAP – Health Information Exchange Accreditation Program (V1.4)
- HNAP-EHN – Healthcare Network Accreditation Program for Electronic Health Networks [Includes Payer] (V10.6)
- HNAP-Medical Biller – Healthcare Network Accreditation Program for Medical Billers (V1.5)
- HNAP-TPA – Healthcare Network Accreditation Program for Third Party Administrators (V1.5)
- MSOAP – Management Service Organization Accreditation Program (V1.4)
- OSAP – Outsourced Services Accreditation Program2 (V1.5)
EHNAC criteria provide a specific and detailed measurement of many aspects of an organization's ability to meet federal and state healthcare reform mandates such as HIPAA, Omnibus, ARRA/HITECH, ACA and other mandates for covered entities and BAs focusing on the areas of privacy, security, confidentiality, best practices, procedures and assets.
Commissioner and Criteria Committee Chair Mark Gingrich reflected on EHNAC's long-established practice of peer-reviewed criteria: "Since EHNAC's foundation twenty years ago, the criteria-review process has been an integral part of third-party accreditation programs, helping the standards-development organization gain widespread acceptance as an industry standard. We thank the many healthcare stakeholders who have volunteered their time to provide past contributions, and we welcome their careful review and invaluable feedback for years to come."
Visit www.ehnac.org for more details or to review the latest EHNAC criteria.
1 EHNAC is in the process of applying to the DEA to become an approved EPCS certifier. Until finalized, these programs will be administered exclusively by CISA certified auditors.
2OSAP includes nine different accreditation programs tailored for Call Centers, Data Centers, DRP Facilities, Health Information Exchange, Media Storage, Network Administrators, Printing, Product Development and Scanning.
About EHNAC
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) is a voluntary, self-governing standards development organization (SDO) established to develop standard criteria and accredit organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data. These entities include e-prescribing and EPCS solution providers, electronic health networks, financial services firms, health information exchanges, health information service providers, medical billers, third-party administrators, management service organizations, outsourced service providers, payers and vendors.
EHNAC was founded in 1993 and is a tax-exempt 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization. Guided by peer evaluation, the EHNAC accreditation process promotes quality service, innovation, cooperation and open competition in healthcare. To learn more, visit www.ehnac.org, contact info@ehnac.org, or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.