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CCHIT Health IT Collaboration Effort Launches LAIKA 09 Software to Evaluate Compatibility of Systems is Free and Publicly Available FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MITRE Contacts: Karina H. Wright Eryn L. Gallagher MCLEAN, Va., April 3, 2009 — The MITRE Corporation and the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®) announced the launch of LAIKA 09. LAIKA, an open source software testing framework, was first introduced in the fall of 2007 as a free and publicly available testing tool for Electronic Health Record (EHR) vendors to test and verify that their products supported standards-based information exchange capabilities and to prepare for CCHIT interoperability testing as part of the certification inspection. Since LAIKA's official release in July 2008, 24 EHR products for the ambulatory setting have completed the certification process, and MITRE project lead Andy Gregorowicz estimates that the number will double by the close of the 08 certification period at the end of June. While the first version of LAIKA tested the representation of EHR data, LAIKA 09 will provide tools that enable interoperability and cross-enterprise document sharing such as testing an EHR's ability to interact with Patient Identity Management systems, specifically Patient Identity Cross-Reference (PIX) and Patient Demographics Query (PDQ). These technologies allow an EHR vendor to share identifiers that it uses for patients as well as query other systems for identifiers so that it can cross-reference medical records. The new tools will become part of CCHIT"s 09 certification process, which begins July 1. "CCHIT is working to drive vendors toward developing interoperable systems," said Gregorowicz. "MITRE is providing the information technology expertise to help move the health IT industry forward." "Thanks to our collaboration with MITRE, we have a practical tool for objectively verifying the interoperability of health IT products," said Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Certification Commission. "Because LAIKA is open source and freely available to all, we also make it easier for EHR developers to comply with interoperability standards and prepare for certification." CCHIT and MITRE will demo the new release of LAIKA 09 during a CCHIT Health IT Technical Roundtable on Monday, April 6, in Room 10d of the Hyatt McCormick Conference Center in Chicago. LAIKA is available to the public at http://laika.sourceforge.net, where users can also track progress reports and technical aspects of the project. Registration for LAIKA project announcements, information about future technical meetings, and an overview of the LAIKA software design can also be obtained through the website. MITRE and the Certification Commission have a complementary vision for the development of robust, interoperable health IT and a common mission in supporting the government, private enterprise, and the public in attaining that goal. To achieve that, the initiative is designed as an open source project. With MITRE's guidance and oversight, any individual or organization is free to propose contributions to the project's engineering technology. The resulting work will be freely and publicly available. Health IT companies of all sizes will be able to take advantage of this shared resource as they are developing new products. Rob Jensen, executive director of the Healthcare Mission Area at MITRE, said, "LAIKA and the partnership with CCHIT will continue to expand the state of health record interoperability. We are pleased to contribute to technologies that can enable improvements in safety, quality, effectiveness, and efficiency to advance the national agenda for health reform." About the Certification Commission The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology is an independent, nonprofit organization that has been officially named by the federal government as a "recognized certification body" for health information technology products and networks. Its mission is to accelerate the adoption of health information technology by creating a credible, sustainable certification program. The certification requirements are based on widely accepted industry standards and involve the work of hundreds of expert volunteers and input from a variety of stakeholders throughout the healthcare industry. More information on the Commission and CCHIT Certified® products is available at www.cchit.org. "CCHIT®" and "CCHIT Certified®" are registered marks of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology. About The MITRE Corporation The MITRE Corporation (www.mitre.org) is a not-for-profit organization that provides systems engineering, research and development, and information technology support to the government. It operates federally funded research and development centers for the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Homeland Security, with principal locations in Bedford, Mass., and McLean, Va. MITRE's Healthcare Mission Area works to improve the quality of healthcare in the United States by partnering with federal healthcare agencies as they implement business and technical solutions to improve performance and customer satisfaction while keeping pace with evolving information technology trends. For more information, visit http://www.mitre.org/work/healthcare. Page last updated: April 3, 2009 | Top of page |
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