Northwestern Medical Enterprise Data Warehouse Receives Certification

Northwestern Medical Enterprise Data Warehouse Receives ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 Certification

First proprietary data warehousing system developed by academic team to achieve ONC-ATCB modular certification supporting meaningful use

June 9, 2011 (Chicago)—Leaders from Northwestern’s academic medical center organizations announced today that the Northwestern Medical Enterprise Data Warehouse Application for Hospitals (EDW), version 1.0 is was inspected on June 2 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) in its EACH™ program, and found to be ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 compliant as an electronic health record (EHR) Module, in accordance with applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The 2011/2012 criteria support the Stage 1 meaningful use of the EHR measures required to qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The Northwestern Medical EDW is the first data warehouse, and one of very few internally-developed systems of any type, to achieve this certification nationally.

The Northwestern Medical EDW captures and brokers EHR information from across the academic medical center’s best-of-breed certified health information management systems including Cerner Millennium, Epic Systems’ EpicCare, GE Centricity and McKesson HBOC. The EDW also serves as a single, integrated database of all clinical and research data from patients receiving treatment through Northwestern medical affiliates, including Northwestern University and the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH), and Northwestern Memorial Faculty Foundation (NMFF). Collecting, integrating, and disseminating data, EDW acts as a central repository to deliver de-identified clinical information to Northwestern researchers and health professionals working to enhance health care quality and safety. Access to a single, centralized database maximizes efficiency and security, making data available, yet controlling access to assure compliance with consents and regulatory requirements.

 “A key component for advancing the plan for Northwestern Medicine, our academic medical center’s shared vision over this next decade, is the strategic decision to have a unified solution to look at data analytics across our academic and clinical partners, including those for Meaningful Use,” said Tim Zoph, senior vice president and CIO, Northwestern Memorial Hospital.  “This single data collection system ensures we are providing the highest standard of care to our patients and community as a whole.  We believe this ONC-ATCB certification represents a major milestone and validates our efforts to employ EHRs in a meaningful way.”

The ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that Complete EHRs meet all of the 2011/2012 criteria and EHR Modules meet one or more—but not all—of the criteria approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for either eligible provider of hospital technology. By utilizing certified EHR technologies, hospitals qualify for ARRA funding and maintain compliance with Medicare payment guidelines.

“CCHIT is pleased to be testing and certifying products so that providers are able to purchase and implement certified EHR technology and achieve meaningful use in time for the 2011-2012 incentives,” said Karen M. Bell, MD, MSS, Chair, CCHIT.

Northwestern Medical Data Warehouse Meaningful Use Application for Hospitals version 1.0 certification number is CC-1112-781600-1 and meets the following criteria:

• 170.302(k) Immunization Registries
• 170.302(l) Public Health Surveillance
• 170.306(g) Reportable Lab Results
• 170.302(o) Access Control
• 170.302(q) Automatic Log-Off
• 170.302(r) Audit Log
• 170.302(s) Integrity
• 170.302(t) Authentication
• 170.302(u) General Encryption
• 170.302(v) Encryption when Exchanging Clinical Information
• 170.306(i) Calculate and Submit Clinical Quality Measures

The clinical quality measures to which the EDW has been certified include:

• NQF 0495 ED-1
• NQF 0497 ED-2
• NQF 0435 Stroke-2
• NQF 0436 Stroke-3
• NQF 0437 Stroke-4
• NQF 0438 Stroke-5
• NQF 0439 Stroke-6
• NQF 0440 Stroke-8
• NQF 0441 Stroke-10
• NQF 0371 VTE-1
• NQF 0372 VTE-2
• NQF 0373 VTE-3
• NQF 0374 VTE-4
• NQF 0375 VTE-5
• NQF 0376 VTE-6

“Obtaining ONC-ATCB certification is a critical achievement for the campus. We are very proud of the work that has been done across the Northwestern Medicine enterprise in achieving integration within the EDW,” said Jeff Glassroth, MD, Interim Dean, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.  “With access to the information gathered from all points in a comprehensive data warehouse we were able to quickly respond to the requirements for Meaningful Use and have already seen returns from being able to ask questions about all aspects of our operation—from clinical research to improvements in patient safety.”

“The ONC-ATCB certification is a key distinction for Northwestern Medicine—it also represents the future of healthcare.  I believe that, before long, data warehouses will be viewed as a prerequisite for any large healthcare organization,” said Justin Starren, MD, PhD, FACMI, Chief of the Division of Biomedical Informatics.  “The EDW is just one of many examples of how Northwestern Medicine is applying Biomedical Informatics tools methods to improve health care.”

About Northwestern Medicine

Northwestern Medicine™ is the collaboration between Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine based on a 10-year strategic vision to transform the future of healthcare. It encompasses the research, teaching and patient care activities of the academic medical center. Sharing a commitment to superior quality, academic excellence and patient safety, the organizations within Northwestern Medicine comprise more than 9,000 clinical and administrative staff, 3,100 medical and science faculty and 700 students. The entities involved in Northwestern Medicine remain separate organizations. Northwestern Medicine is a trademark of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and is used by Northwestern University.

About CCHIT

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the public mission of accelerating the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology. The Commission has been certifying electronic health record technology since 2006 and is approved by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB).  More information on CCHIT, CCHIT Certified® products and ONC-ATCB certified electronic health record technology is available at http://cchit.org. “CCHIT®” and “CCHIT Certified®” are registered trademarks of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.

About ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification

The ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that EHR technology is capable of meeting the 2011/2012 criteria approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). The certifications include Complete EHRs, which meet all of the 2011/2012 criteria for either eligible provider or hospital technology and EHR Modules, which meet one or more – but not all – of the criteria. ONC-ATCB certification aligns with Health Information Technology: Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology published in the Federal Register in July 2010 and strictly adheres to the test procedures published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the time of testing. ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification conferred by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) does not represent an endorsement of the certified EHR technology by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nor does it guarantee the receipt of incentive payments.

About EACH™

The EHR Alternative Certification for Healthcare Providers (EACH™) is a customized ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program for installed EHR technology developed by CCHIT to meet the complex needs of hospitals and large eligible provider practices that have uncertified legacy software, customized commercial products, or have developed their own EHR systems to suit their individual needs, The EACH program, relying on required ONC criteria and test procedures and tools developed by NIST, offers online learning programs, online inventory and self-assessment tools that help providers evaluate how their installed EHR technology measures up to ONC’s criteria and standards, and access to an online community of other providers  participating in  the EACH program. More information and online tools for applying for EACH certification is available at http://each.cchit.org.