ENS vendors can apply with EOHHS to become Certified ENS Vendors for the purpose of participating in the Statewide ENS Framework. EOHHS will issue a Request for Application (RFA) for this purpose. The first RFA was issued and executed in 2020 to establish the Statewide ENS Framework. To learn about the Statewide ENS Framework, click here.
ENS Vendor Certification Process
To become certified, ENS vendors must agree to share incoming ADT alerts from Acute Care Hospitals with all other Certified ENS Vendors by interconnecting their ENS systems to exchange the alerts. The vendor also has to agree to the Commonwealth's standard terms and conditions. This creates obligations to which the vendor will be held accountable while participating in the Statewide ENS Framework.
Once certified, the ENS vendor will be certified for a 2-year term, with the option to re-certify. As future certification criteria will account for the evolving HIT landscape and new technologies, Certified ENS Vendors may have to adapt their ENS solution to remain certified. This process is highlighted in the graphic below.
ENS Vendor Certification Criteria
ENS vendors who apply will be certified by the Mass HIway to meet specific functional, data security, data sharing, and business criteria focused on ensuring statewide ENS access, delivery, reliability, and integrity. In a nutshell, to be eligible to be certified, ENS vendors have to meet the requirements shown in the graphic below.
ENS Vendor Certification Obligations
EOHHS will hold Certified ENS Vendors accountable to the Statewide ENS Framework obligations during the 2-year certification term in areas including data security, data reflection, and reporting. The graphic below summarizes these obligations. EOHHS will use the quarterly reports to verify vendor compliance and performance, and track the effectiveness of the Statewide ENS Framework.
