GRAPEVINE, TX – Healthcare organizations need to act now to get their share of $34 billion in stimulus incentives, says Mark Leavitt, MD, who heads the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.

That is "quite a lot of money," said Leavitt, during a Monday gathering at the American Health Information Management Association's annual convention in Grapevine, Texas.

The commission aims to help. On Wednesday, it will launch its 2011 certification program, designed to position hospitals and physician practices to to qualify for a share of the $34 billion in federal incentives available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"We're moving forward, skating toward the puck rather than waiting for it to move," Leavitt said.

"This is our moon shot," he added, noting that it cost about $34 billion for the country's first moon landing in 1969.

To be eligible for ARRA incentives for the support of healthcare IT, healthcare organizations must use certified products and show meaningful use. The glitch: The government is still defining 'meaningful use.' The estimated time of arrival is spring 2010.

If the CCHIT and healthcare organizations wait for the definition before taking action, they might miss their chance at incentives, Leavitt said. That's why the CCHIT has developed what he called a modular certification process based on the recommended definition of meaningful use that was released on July 16. The 2011 certification provides more flexibility, but a little less protection than the existing CCHIT program, he said.

"We believe it will not be more rigorous than what is proposed," Leavitt said. He called the proposed definition, which requires hospitals and physician practices to employ  e-prescribing, (CPOE for hospitals), drug decision support, electronic receipt of lab results, a problem list and quality reporting, "pretty ambitious." He said the final definition is not likely to be more rigorous.

Leavitt said the CCHIT is developing a site development program that would make it possible for early adopters who developed their own IT systems to qualify for incentives. Without certified IT products, they could not be eligible under the federal rules.

He predicted there would be a surge in certification demand. More than 700 people attended a Sept. 3 meeting on certification, he noted, two-thirds of which were vendors.

"We are talking about tripling the rate of adoption," he said. "We expect a burst of innovation. The vendors, just like the providers, share an urgency about not waiting. There are quite a few products we haven't seen before."

Leavitt told AHIMA attendees they are entering a "golden era."

"I think your job prospects are good," he said. "But I think your jobs are going to change."