[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 26 (Tuesday, February 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 6794]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2763]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
30-Day Submission Period for Requests for ONC-Approved Accreditor
(ONC-AA) Status
AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology, Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the 30-day period for submission of
requests for ONC-Approved Accreditor (ONC-AA) status.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 300jj-11.
DATES: The 30-day submission period begins upon publication of this
notice in the Federal Register and will end on March 10, 2011.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Bean, Director, Certification
Division, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology, 202-690-7151.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Health and Human Services
issued a final rule establishing a permanent certification program for
the purpose of certifying health information technology (HIT).
Establishment of the Permanent Certification Program for Health
Information Technology, 76 FR 1262 (Jan. 7, 2011) (the ``Permanent
Certification Program final rule''). The Permanent Certification
Program final rule became effective on February 7, 2011 and added a new
``Subpart E--Permanent Certification Program for HIT'' to part 170 of
title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). This notice is
issued pursuant to Sec. 170.503(b), which provides that the National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology (the National
Coordinator) will publish a notice in the Federal Register to announce
the 30-day period during which requests for ONC-AA status may be
submitted. The 30-day period for submission of requests for ONC-AA
status begins upon publication of this notice in the Federal Register
and will end 30 days thereafter, as specified in the DATES section of
this notice. In order to be considered for ONC-AA status, an
accreditation organization must submit a written request to the
National Coordinator that includes the information required by Sec.
170.503(b), within the 30-day period specified by this notice. Section
170.503(b) requires an accreditation organization to submit the
following information to demonstrate its ability to serve as an ONC-AA:
(1) A detailed description of the accreditation organization's
conformance to ISO/IEC17011:2004 (incorporated by reference in Sec.
170.599) and experience evaluating the conformance of certification
bodies to ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996 (incorporated by reference in Sec.
170.599);
(2) A detailed description of the accreditation organization's
accreditation requirements[,] as well as how those requirements would
complement the Principles of Proper Conduct for ONC-ACBs and ensure the
surveillance approaches used by ONC-ACBs include the use of consistent,
objective, valid, and reliable methods;
(3) Detailed information on the accreditation organization's
procedures that would be used to monitor ONC-ACBs;
(4) Detailed information, including education and experience, about
the key personnel who review organizations for accreditation; and
(5) Procedures for responding to, and investigating, complaints
against ONC-ACBs.
Requests for ONC-AA status may be submitted by e-mail to [email protected] and should include ``Request for ONC-AA Status'' in the
subject line. Alternatively, requests for ONC-AA status may be
submitted by regular or express mail to: Office of the National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Attention: Permanent
Certification Program--Request for ONC-AA Status, 200 Independence
Avenue, SW., Suite 729D, Washington, DC 20201. In accordance with Sec.
170.505, the official date of receipt of an e-mail submission will be
the date on which it was sent, and the official date of a submission by
regular or express mail will be the date of the delivery confirmation.
To clarify, e-mail submissions may be sent up to and through 11:59 p.m.
on the last day of 30-day submission period. Additional information
about requesting ONC-AA status and the permanent certification program
can be found on the ONC Web site at: http://healthit.hhs.gov/certification.
Dated: February 2, 2011.
David Blumenthal,
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2011-2763 Filed 2-7-11; 8:45 am]
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