The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body, and Cooperative Exchange (CE), the National Health Clearinghouse Association representing organizations in the healthcare information technology and transaction industry, announce today that the organizations are collaborating to offer discounted EHNAC accreditation and reaccreditation annual fees for all Cooperative Exchange members. Additionally, Cooperative Exchange is collaborating with EHNAC and others to identify opportunities to enhance and streamline accreditation and eliminate redundancies within the privacy and security audit processes.
“Privacy and security are integral parts of a clearinghouse’s commitment to payers and providers to ensure the secure exchange of healthcare information,” said Cooperative Exchange President Sherry Wilson. “This Membership Affinity Agreement with EHNAC will provide our member clearinghouses a tangible benefit, and we look forward to collectively working with EHNAC and others to raise awareness to member clearinghouses and the healthcare industry at-large regarding the redundancies between and among the number of third-party privacy and security audits, clearinghouses are required to comply with upon request of its clients.”
The EHNAC criteria for each of its accreditation programs set the foundational requirements for measuring an organization’s ability to meet federal and state healthcare reform mandates such as HIPAA, Omnibus, ARRA/HITECH, ACA and other mandates for covered entities and business associates focusing on the areas of privacy, security, confidentiality, best practices, procedures and assets.
EHNAC Executive Director Lee Barrett added: “Our longstanding relationship with the Cooperative Exchange has been extremely valuable, as many Cooperative Exchange leaders and member organizations are integral parts of our own advisory, criteria and other committees. The natural progression of our relationship was one in which we recognize the synergies and look for ways in which we can make our processes the most efficient and effective for everyone. We look forward to working closely with Cooperative Exchange on those endeavors in 2016.”
