ONC Health IT

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) plays a central role in advancing interoperable, secure, and patient-centered health IT across the United States. A key mechanism for this oversight is the ONC Health IT Certification Program, which establishes standardized criteria that health IT products must meet to support safety, interoperability, and regulatory compliance. Through this program, healthcare organizations can identify certified health information technology that has been independently validated against federal requirements, reducing uncertainty when selecting and deploying core clinical and administrative systems.

Under the program, vendors may seek ONC-certified HIT status for products such as a certified EHR by demonstrating conformance to defined technical, functional, and security criteria. Certification testing and validation are performed by ONC-ACBs, or ONC-Authorized Certification Bodies, which operate under the authority and oversight of ONC. These bodies are responsible for evaluating products, issuing certifications, and ensuring ongoing adherence to program rules. ONC certification disclosures further require vendors to publicly document system capabilities, limitations, and known constraints, promoting transparency and informed decision-making for healthcare providers.

The certification process typically involves rigorous testing against applicable certification criteria, including interoperability standards, data access, privacy, and security controls. Once certified, vendors must maintain compliance as requirements evolve, addressing updates tied to regulatory changes, new interoperability mandates, or security standards. Ongoing surveillance and maintenance obligations help ensure that ONC-certified HIT continues to function in real-world critical healthcare environments, rather than only at the time of initial certification.

Imprivata participates in the ONC ecosystem with ONC-certified health IT modules that healthcare organizations use to optimize their EHRs and establish secure, efficient workflows aligned to ONC expectations. Imprivata healthcare solutions help organizations protect access to certified EHR environments through strong authentication, identity and access management, and workflow-aware security controls. By integrating security directly into clinical and operational processes, Imprivata helps healthcare organizations meet regulatory obligations while preserving usability for clinicians and staff operating within ONC-certified health IT systems.