The Base Electronic Health Record (EHR) definition provides a baseline assurance that certified health IT has been developed to possess, at a minimum, a key set of capabilities as outlined below.
Please note: Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT) is defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and required for participation in certain CMS programs. CEHRT includes, at a minimum, the capabilities outlined in the Base EHR Definition. Additional certified functionality may also be necessary to meet program-specific objectives, measures, or reporting requirements. Participants should confirm CEHRT requirements for their applicable program and reporting year. For questions about CMS program requirements, please visit the QualityNet Question and Answer Site at https://cmsqualitysupport.servicenowservices.com/qnet_qa?id=ask_a_question.
Base EHR Definition – Certification Criteria Required to Satisfy the Definition (CY2025) | |
|---|---|
Base EHR Capabilities | Certification Criteria |
Includes patient demographic and clinical health information | Patient demographics and observations § 170.315(a)(5) |
Capacity to provide clinical decision support | Decision support interventions § 170.315(b)(11) |
Capacity to support physician order entry | Computerized provider order entry § 170.315(a)(1), (2) or (3) |
Capacity to capture and query information relevant to health care quality | Clinical quality measures – record and export § 170.315(c)(1) |
Capacity to exchange electronic health information with, and integrate such information from other sources |
|
The requirements of the Base EHR Definition can be met using one Certified Health IT Module or a combination of Certified Health IT Modules. | |