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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Promoting Interoperability (PI)

Real World Testing

Background Information for Real World Testing for the Certified Health IT (RPMS/EHR)

Under the ONC Health IT Certification Program (Program), the Indian Health Service (IHS) is required to conduct Real World Testing (RWT) of their Certified Health IT (CHIT); otherwise referred to as the IHS Electronic Health Record (EHR). The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) issues Real World Testing resources to clarify responsibilities for conducting Real World Testing.

As a participant in the ONC Health IT Certification Program, the IHS must conduct RWT annually as a Condition and Maintenance of Certification (CMoC) requirement. This annual requirement is outlined in the ONC 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule, which demonstrates interoperability and functionality of the IHS CHIT in real world settings and scenarios. RWT verifies the IHS Certified Health IT continues to perform as intended by conducting and measuring observations of interoperability and data exchange for the criteria specified in this Real World Testing Plan (RWTP). These observations will be reported by each participant to the IHS, which will be consolidated and submitted as Real World Testing Results (RWTR).

2023 Real World Testing Results for the IHS Certified Health IT

2025 Real World Testing Plans for the IHS Certified Health IT