Evaluating and classifying the readiness of technology specifications for national standardization

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 clearly articulated the central role that health information technology (HIT) standards would play in improving healthcare quality, safety, and efficiency through the meaningful use of certified, standards based, electronic health record (EHR) technology. In 2012, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) asked the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN) Power Team of the Health Information Technology Standards Committee (HITSC) to develop comprehensive, objective, and, to the extent practical, quantitative criteria for evaluating technical standards and implementation specifications and classifying their readiness for national adoption. The Power Team defined criteria, attributes, and metrics for evaluating and classifying technical standards and specifications as 'emerging,' 'pilot,' or 'ready for national standardization' based on their maturity and adoptability. The ONC and the HITSC are now using these metrics for assessing the readiness of technical standards for national adoption.