April 29, 2010 David Blumenthal, MD, MPP National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Department of Health and Human Services Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Suite 729D 200 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20201 Attention: Certification Programs Proposed Rule Comments submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov Re: Proposed Establishment of Certification Programs for Health Information Technology: Proposed Rule (RIN 0991-AB59) Dear Dr. Blumenthal: The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the proposed rule guiding establishment of certification programs for health information technology published on March 10, 2010 (Federal Register, Vol. 75, No. 46, p. 11327). CHIME’s 1,400 members represent chief information officers (CIOs) and other top information technology executives at many of the nation’s largest hospitals. CHIME members have front-line experience in implementing clinical systems, and have learned by trial and error what works and what doesn’t in implementing such electronic systems and optimizing the value derived from them. Healthcare CIOs share the vision of an e-enabled healthcare system as described by the HIT Policy Committee, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. One of CHIME’s primary objectives is to provide educational and other ...