Definition Thursday: ONC and ONC-ATCB

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ONC: Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC):

The ONC is a group within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that is responsible, among other things, for promoting the development of a nationwide interoperable Health Information Technology (HIT) infrastructure, which includes EMRs, and consequently for supervising the certification process in order for an EMR system to qualify for federal payments.

ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB):

Organizations selected and authorized by the ONC to perform complete EHR and/or EHR module testing and certification. Certification by an ATCB will signify to eligible professionals, hospitals, and critical access hospitals that an EHR technology has the capabilities necessary to support their efforts to meet the goals and objectives of meaningful use.

Finding the appropriate electronic medical record (EMR) software for your practice can be a daunting task. There are literally hundreds of choices available and many factors to consider. The quality and work flow of your practice depend on your making the right selection, as does your ability to collect payments from the U.S. government. To make matters worse, most information sources out there utilize a myriad of abbreviations and acronyms further complicating the process and causing frustration. To help minimize this, each Thursday MedicalRecords.com Blog will publish a relevant abbreviation or acronym you will come across during your EMR software search!

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