Drummond Group Launches New Program, Pilot Initiative for Pediatric Health IT Certification

Pilot Participants NextGen Healthcare, Office Practicum and PCC to Help Assess, Finalize Test Structure and Test Scripts

AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, May 24, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Drummond Group² today announced the launch of its Pediatric Health IT Certification Program¹ and pilot initiative to build upon the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)³’s guidelines for voluntary certification of electronic health records (EHRs) utilized by pediatric health providers.

Upon completion of the pilot project in July, Drummond will use the results and feedback from several participating health IT companies – including NextGen Healthcare, Office Practicum and PCC – to finalize the test scripts which are based upon the 10 recommendations from the ONC in its 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule, the HL7 Pediatric Care Health IT Functional Profile R2.1 published in May 2022, and the Agency for Healthcare Research (AHRQ) Children’s EHR Format 2015 Priority List to advance child health, such as through interoperable immunization data for health systems, schools and public health agencies.

Drummond’s Pediatric Health IT Certification Program was created in response to the voluntary Pediatric Health IT certification outlined in the ONC 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule and significantly expands requirements to address pediatric clinician needs and improve child health outcomes.

“Working with numerous stakeholders over the last two years, Drummond’s newest program will offer health IT software developers an innovative, premium certification service to comprehensively address pediatric testing,” said Ryan Patano, Drummond’s president. “It will complement and expand upon existing pediatric health IT work, including recommendations from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), ONC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and HL7. We believe it will serve as an ideal foundation to test and/or certify health IT software to deliver better screening tools for accurate tracking and lead to safer medication use, improved communication and knowledge about growth and development, and overall improvements in the management of children with special health care needs, to name a few of its long-term benefits.”

“There is nothing more precious than the health of our nation’s children,” said David Sides, president and chief executive officer at NextGen Healthcare. “That’s why we committed to participating in Drummond’s voluntary Pediatric Health IT Certification Program pilot. As the first EHR developer to certify a complete EHR solution to the 2015 Edition Cures Update criteria, we understand the peace of mind that a third-party certification gives providers. Pediatricians and parents should have confidence their EHR meets the highest standards.”

“As the market’s only pediatric-specific ONC-certified EHR, Office Practicum is honored to contribute to the development of Drummond’s pediatric health IT certification program. Now more than ever, pediatricians need technology they can trust to deliver quality care across a wide range of childhood treatment applications,” said Kraig Brown, Office Practicum chief executive officer. “The Drummond program is a natural complement to our interoperability solutions developed in support of and in compliance with the 21st Century Cures Act.”

"Healthcare's main focus has centered on adult medicine with children’s unique needs often an afterthought," said Chip Hart, director of pediatric solutions at PCC. ”A partner to pediatricians in independent practice, PCC was thrilled to participate in the development of pediatric certification and we look forward to delivering meaningful, child health-specific features and functionality to pediatricians.”

This testing and certification program will:
• Provide a Drummond Certified™ certification seal to health IT software that successfully passes the use cases and is therefore recognized for excellence in pediatrics testing
• Allow health IT vendors to differentiate themselves in the marketplace by demonstrating advanced capabilities that go beyond baseline certifications

In-depth information about Drummond’s Pediatric Health IT Certification Program may be found at https://www.drummondgroup.com/pediatric-ehr-certification/

About Drummond
Drummond offers a comprehensive suite of services to help you achieve compliance with regulatory information security mandates and ensure critical business applications meet interoperability and application conformance. At Drummond, enabling you to feel secure about the ways in which you share your business’s sensitive and private data is our primary goal. Increase trust, gain expertise, and experience our proven methodologies and attention to detail as we partner with you for your long-term success. For more information visit: http://www.drummondgroup.com

About NextGen Healthcare, Inc.
NextGen Healthcare, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXGN) is a leading provider of innovative healthcare technology solutions. We are reimagining ambulatory healthcare with award-winning solutions that enable high-performing practices to create healthier communities. We partner with medical, behavioral and dental providers in their journey toward whole person health and value-based care. Our highly integrated, intelligent and interoperable solutions go beyond EHR and Practice Management to increase clinical quality and productivity, enrich the patient experience and drive superior financial performance. We are on a quest to achieve better healthcare outcomes for all. Learn more at https://www.nextgen.com/ and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

About Office Practicum
Office Practicum (OP) has always been a champion for pediatricians and the children, families and caregivers they serve. Committed to reducing the complexity of running a pediatric practice, OP’s digital health platform is designed to support the integrated physical, emotional and mental healthcare needs of pediatric patients at all stages of their growth. OP’s industry-leading pediatric EHR, practice management and revenue cycle management services are offered alongside telehealth, after-hours services, website design and SEO services. Together, they provide a full suite of solutions that pediatricians need to support their practice. Today, Office Practicum supports 8,500 pediatricians serving 15 million kids across 48 states. For more information, visit us at www.officepracticum.com

About PCC
PCC (Physician's Computer Company) is a privately held, independent software solutions firm with nearly 40 years of industry experience working exclusively to meet the needs of independent pediatricians. Since 1983, we have built tools, provided consulting and offered support to pediatric practices who seek to improve the health of their patients and improve their bottom lines. As a Benefit Corporation, we align our business practices with our values, and put the needs of our clients, employees and community first. PCC knows the value of having control over our own future, and our commitment to helping pediatricians stay independent is the driving force behind everything we do. https://www.pcc.com/

Olga Finneran
Drummond Group
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¹ https://www.drummondgroup.com/pediatric-ehr-certification/
² https://www.drummondgroup.com/
³ https://www.healthit.gov/