The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) will accelerate the development of advanced technology certification programs that encompass clinical decision, interoperability, quality and security, to complete them all by 2010--one year prior to the availability of EHR incentives availability under the stimulus. Previously, advanced clinical decision support and security would not have been completed until 2011, according to the commission.

"We see evidence that the health IT programs under the Recovery Act will be implemented according to the ambitious schedules in the legislation," said Mark Leavitt, MD, PhD, CCHIT chair. "For CCHIT to ensure that a robust selection of certification options will be available when the HIT Policy and Standards Committees make their decisions later this year, our own schedules must be equally ambitious. That's why we have decided to develop all four of these advanced certification options at once."

The expansion is resulting in a brief delay in the opening of the annual volunteer recruitment period, so the application data collection system can be updated, adding four additional work group choices for participants, CCHIT said.

The opening for volunteer applications is March 26 instead of the originally scheduled March 23. The application window will close on April 20. The new advanced technology work groups are open to all applicants.

Those interested are encouraged to apply at www.cchit.org/volunteer beginning March 26.