Why your EHR needs to have a CEHRT certification

Why CEHRT EHRs matter more than you think

Healthcare doesn’t need another layer of complexity. Between quality reporting, interoperability requirements, and the constant pressure to “do more with less,” most healthcare teams are already stretched thin.

So, when someone mentions CEHRT certification, it can sound like one more acronym on a very long list.

But CEHRT (Certified Electronic Health Record Technology) is worth your time. It’s a federal certification that shows whether your EHR can reliably manage patient data, exchange information with other systems, and support federal reporting.

In practice, it’s the foundation of trust, data integrity, and connected care, which is everything modern healthcare relies on. It separates EHRs that simply store information from those that truly support connected and confident care.

And at athenahealth, that’s exactly why our EHR is CEHRT-certified.

Understanding what CEHRT means

CEHRT comes from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. It’s the certification framework that proves an EHR has been rigorously tested to handle sensitive data, communicate with other systems, and generate accurate reporting for programs like MIPS.

Beyond compliance, CEHRT is about reliability. When a patient moves from a community clinic to a hospital, their information (allergies, medications, lab results, etc.) should move with them seamlessly and securely.

If your EHR isn’t CEHRT-certified, that continuity of care isn’t guaranteed and can lead to costly errors, wasted time, and frustrated clinicians.
 

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The risks of running an uncertified EHR

At first glance, skipping CEHRT might seem harmless as it can look like just another regulatory hoop, but in reality, it’s the foundation under your entire digital infrastructure.

A certified EHR benefits everyone across the entire care journey. Clinicians get better workflows and spend less time chasing missing records. Administrators get reports they can rely on. Patients experience more coordinated care.

While a non-certified system may still function, there are hidden risks where gaps inevitably appear. Data can get stuck in silos, reports may fail audits, and organizations participating in CMS programs like MIPS or Promoting Interoperability may lose eligibility for federal incentives.

Without certification, reimbursement opportunities disappear, and providers could miss out on tools that simplify compliance with electronic health information-sharing requests. It’s a bit like driving without insurance. Everything’s fine… until suddenly it’s not.

A certified EHR gives peace of mind in healthcare

In healthcare, trust is everything — between patients and providers, and between providers and their technology. And your EHR should earn that trust every day.

A CEHRT signals that your system meets the national gold standard for security, reliability, and data exchange. Partners, payers, providers, and patients can be confident your system is safe, connected, and ready for the future.

Certification is about giving providers peace of mind that their data, workflows, and patients are protected.

athenaOne® is built for what’s next

New regulations, standards, and technologies constantly reshape what’s possible in healthcare. Choosing a certified EHR helps your organization keep pace with those changes.

With over 25 years of experience, supporting more than 170,000 providers¹ and 72 million patients nationwide², our AI-native athenaOne proves that certified, reliable EHRs can scale without losing sight of what matters.

Our CEHRT certification shows that athenaOne is built for resilience, compliance, and adaptability, so you won’t need costly rebuilds when requirements change. We continually validate and enhance our platform to stay ahead of evolving ONC requirements, ensuring you never have to worry about the next update or audit.

Information moves seamlessly across care settings, reporting happens effortlessly, and patient data stays protected.

Experience what certified confidence feels like

The best way to understand the difference is to experience it yourself. If you’re wondering what this means for your organization’s future, explore athenaOne’s suite of EHR, revenue cycle management, and patient engagement tools or connect with our team to see how a future-ready, certified EHR can work for you.