Selecting an EHR

Pediatric patients have unique needs for effective and safe care. Clinicians caring for children need access to tools and functionalities that meet the needs of their patients.

Pediatric Certified EHRs

The 21st Century Cures Act established voluntary specialty certification of electronic health records (EHRs) for pediatric care. EHR vendors and developers can achieve voluntary pediatric certification of their products to demonstrate their capacity to support high quality pediatric care. In the 21st Century Cures Act Interoperability Final Rule, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) identified 10 recommended functionalities for voluntary pediatric certification of EHRs.

ONC Recommendations for Pediatric Health IT Voluntary Certification Criteria

Use biometric-specific norms for growth curves and support growth charts for children
Compute weight-based drug dosage
Ability to document all guardians and caregivers
Segmented access to information
Synchronize immunization histories with registries
Age- and weight-specific single dose range checking
Transferable access authority
Associate maternal health information and demographics with newborn
Track incomplete preventive care opportunities
Flag special health care needs

Drummond Pediatric Health IT Certification Program

Drummond Group has been certifying health IT tools and software to federal standards for decades. They established a voluntary program for pediatric certification which includes testable criteria for the ONC ten recommendations for pediatric care as well as other criteria that support pediatric best practices. Drummond is the only organization testing and certifying health IT for pediatric functionality aligned with federal recommendations.

The program requires ONC 2015 Edition certification as a prerequisite.

Base Certification

Base Certification – Ambulatory

Base Certification – Inpatient

Beyond the Basics: Pediatric Advanced Achievements

These tools go above and beyond to prioritize the unique health care needs of children. Vendors that obtain Drummond Pediatric Certification Advanced Achievement Badges for their products demonstrate a strong commitment to pediatric functionality. Advanced Achievement Badges are awarded based on the software’s score in a particular domain.

EHRs can receive Advanced Achievement Badges in the following domains:

Security & Privacy
Immunization
Well Child Care (Ambulatory)
Medication Management
Quality Reporting
Care Team/Planning
Newborn Care & Screening (Inpatient)
Data Exchange & Interoperability

Why Pediatric Certification?

Infants, children, and adolescents have unique health care needs that evolve as they grow. All clinicians need effective tools to support optimal care for their patients. EHRs developed with children’s health and wellness needs in mind can help pediatricians provide evidence-based care.
Pediatric certification is an important step in achieving high-quality, equitable care for all children.

What Can Pediatricians Do?

See if the EHR you use has achieved Pediatric Certification.
Ask your vendor representative or your practice/institutional leadership about their timeline for obtaining pediatric certification.
Work with your vendor representative or your EHR team to understand and utilize the pediatric functionality available in the product you use.
Advocate for incentives for vendors to pursue pediatric certification.

Resources

Last Updated

02/01/2023

Source

American Academy of Pediatrics