The Standards Version Advancement Process (SVAP) permits health IT developers to voluntarily update health IT products certified under the ONC Health IT Certification Program (Certification Program) to newer versions of adopted standards as part of the “Real World Testing” Condition and Maintenance of Certification requirement (§ 170.405) of the 21st Century Cures Act.
Using SVAP, Certified Health IT developers are permitted to voluntarily use a newer approved version of a standard than is adopted in regulation. Currently, this flexibility is limited to standards that are adopted in the certification criteria required to meet the “Real World Testing” Condition of Certification, which include § 170.315(b), (c)(1) through (c)(3), (e)(1), (f), (g)(7) through (g)(10), and (h).
Certified Health IT developers taking advantage of the SVAP flexibility must ensure that their Real World Testing plans and results of the Certified Health IT Modules address these updated standards. Additionally, developers updating their already Certified Health IT Modules are required to provide advance notice to their clients and ONC-Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB) before adopting a newer approved version of a standard.
Working with industry stakeholders, ONC has developed a collaborative public comment process to identify newer versions of standards that are ready for use in the Certification Program. For additional information on the annual process, including the list of standards and versions eligible for consideration, please visit the SVAP Process Page.
Learn more about the recent updates to SVAP via the following resources:
- SVAP Fact Sheet
- Approved Standards for 2024
- Blog Post Announcing Approved Standards for 2024
- Approved Standards for 2023, Approved Standards for 2022 and Approved Standards for 2020
- ONC Standards Bulletin: Sign up and also view previous alerts that include updates about ONC health IT standards initiatives such as the SVAP.
2024 Approved SVAP Versions
The 2024 approved SVAP versions were announced June 20, 2024, and will be available for voluntary certification under the Certification Program on August 19, 2024. Once effective, any newer versions of approved standards replace existing approved standards from previous years. Updated test tools and test procedures for the criterion that leverage these standards will be made available by December 2024 for any developers looking to explore new certifications that will include these SVAP versions within their tested criteria.
Certification Criteria | Regulatory Standard Version(s) | SVAP Version(s) Approved |
|---|---|---|
United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 4, October 2023 Errata | |
Health Level 7 (HL7®) Implementation Guide for CDA® Release 2 Consolidation CDA® Templates for Clinical Notes (US Realm), Draft Standard for Trial Use Release 2.1 C-CDA 2.1, August 2015, June 2019 (with Errata) HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 2-US Realm, October 2019 [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA® Templates for Clinical Notes STU Companion Guide, Release 4.1—US Realm [This standard is required by December 31, 2025] | ||
§ 170.315(b)(2) Clinical information reconciliation and incorporation | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 4, October 2023 Errata |
Health Level 7 (HL7®) Implementation Guide for CDA® Release 2 Consolidation CDA® Templates for Clinical Notes (US Realm), Draft Standard for Trial Use Release 2.1 C-CDA 2.1, August 2015, June 2019 (with Errata) HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 2-US Realm, October 2019 [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes STU Companion Guide, Release 4.1—US Realm [This standard is required by December 31, 2025] | ||
Health Level 7 (HL7®) Implementation Guide for CDA® Release 2 Consolidation CDA® Templates for Clinical Notes (US Realm), Draft Standard for Trial Use Release 2.1 C-CDA 2.1, August 2015, June 2019 (with Errata) | ||
Health Level 7 (HL7®) Implementation Guide for CDA® Release 2 Consolidation CDA® Templates for Clinical Notes (US Realm), Draft Standard for Trial Use Release 2.1 C-CDA 2.1, August 2015, June 2019 (with Errata) | ||
Health Level 7 (HL7®) Implementation Guide for CDA® Release 2 Consolidation CDA® Templates for Clinical Notes (US Realm), Draft Standard for Trial Use Release 2.1 C-CDA 2.1, August 2015, June 2019 (with Errata) HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 2-US Realm, October 2019 [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes STU Companion Guide, Release 4.1—US Realm [This standard is required by December 31, 2025] | ||
CMS Implementation Guide for Quality Reporting Document Architecture: Category I; Hospital Quality Reporting; Implementation Guide for 2020 | ||
CMS Implementation Guide for Quality Reporting Document Architecture: Category III; Eligible Clinicians and Eligible Professionals Programs; Implementation Guide for 2020 | ||
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, December 11, 2008 | Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, October 5, 2023 | |
United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), October 2022 Errata, Version 3 [This standard is required by December 31, 2025] | ||
HL7® Implementation Guide for CDA® Release 2 Consolidation CDA® Templates for Clinical Notes (US Realm), Draft Standard for Trial Use Release 2.1 C-CDA 2.1, August 2015, June 2019 (with Errata) HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 2-US Realm, October 2019 [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes STU Companion Guide, Release 4.1—US Realm [This standard is required by December 31, 2025] | ||
HL7® 2.5.1 Implementation Guide for Immunization Messaging, Release 1.5, October 1, 2014 HL7® Version 2.5.1 Implementation Guide for Immunization Messaging (Release 1.5)—Addendum, July 2015 | HL7® Version 2.5.1 Implementation Guide for Immunization Messaging, Release 1.5 2018 Update | |
§ 170.315(f)(2) Transmission to public health agencies - syndromic surveillance | CDC PHIN Messaging Guide for Syndromic Surveillance: Emergency Department, Urgent Care, Inpatient and Ambulatory Care Settings, Release 2.0, April 21, 2015 | |
HL7® CDA® Release 2 Implementation Guide: Reporting to Public Health Cancer Registries from Ambulatory Healthcare Providers, Release 1; DSTU Release 1.1 (US Realm), April 2015 | ||
§ 170.315(f)(5) Transmission to public health agencies – electronic case reporting | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), October 2022 Errata, Version 3 [This standard is required by December 31, 2025] | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 4, October 2023 Errata |
§ 170.315(f)(7) Transmission to public health agencies – health care surveys | HL7® Implementation Guide for CDA® Release 2: National Health Care Surveys (NHCS), Release 1 - US Realm, HL7® Draft Standard for Trial Use, December 2014 | |
United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), October 2022 Errata, Version 3 [This standard is required by December 31, 2025] | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 4, October 2023 Errata | |
Health Level 7 (HL7®) Implementation Guide for CDA® Release 2 Consolidation CDA® Templates for Clinical Notes (US Realm), Draft Standard for Trial Use Release 2.1 C-CDA 2.1, August 2015, June 2019 (with Errata) HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 2-US Realm, October 2019 [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes STU Companion Guide, Release 4.1—US Realm [This standard is required by December 31, 2025] | ||
HL7® FHIR® US Core Implementation Guide STU 3.1.1, August 8, 2020 [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] HL7® FHIR® US Core Implementation Guide STU 6.1.0 [This standard is required by December 31, 2025] | ||
HL7® FHIR® SMART Application Launch Framework Implementation Guide Release 1.0.0, November 13, 2018 [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] HL7® SMART App Launch Implementation Guide Release 2.0.0, including mandatory support for the “Capability Sets” of “Patient Access for Standalone Apps” and “Clinician Access for EHR Launch”; all “Capabilities” as defined in “8.1.2 Capabilities,” excepting the “permission-online” capability; “Token Introspection” as defined in “7 Token Introspection” [This standard is required by December 31, 2025] | HL7® FHIR® SMART Application Launch Framework Implementation Guide Release 2.2.0, April 30, 2024 | |
United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata [Adoption of this standard expires on January 1, 2026] United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), October 2022 Errata, Version 3 [This standard is required by December 31, 2025] |
Approved SVAP Versions
All the standards in the table below are currently available for voluntary certification under the Certification Program. Once effective, any newer versions of approved standards replace existing approved standards from previous years.
Several standards that were included as 2023 Approved SVAP Versions have been incorporated by reference in regulation as of March 11, 2024, the effective date of the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification Program Updates, Algorithm Transparency, and Information Sharing (HTI-1) Final Rule. These standards, listed below the Approved SVAP Version table, are no longer available for certification through the SVAP process. Health IT Modules that have already updated to these standards via SVAP will not need to update their standard versions again as part of HTI-1 Final Rule requirements but may have other required updates for their certified criteria. Please contact your ONC Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB) for information on the update requirements related to HTI-1 Final Rule.
Additionally, the SVAP approved standard of HL7® FHIR® US Core Implementation Guide STU 4.0.0, June 2021, will continue to remain available for certification via SVAP while the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata remains available for use in the Certification Program as a standard adopted in regulation until it expires on January 1, 2026, as outlined in the HTI-1 Final Rule.
Certification Criteria | Regulatory Standard Version(s) | SVAP Version(s) Approved |
|---|---|---|
Applicability Statement for Secure Health Transport, Version 1.2, August 2015 (Direct) | Applicability Statement for Secure Health Transport Version 1.3, May 2021 (Direct) (2022 SVAP Approved) | |
§ 170.315(c)(1) - Clinical quality measures (CQMs) — record and export | Health Level 7 (HL7®) CDA® Release 2 Implementation Guide for: Quality Reporting Document Architecture – Category I (QRDA I); Release 1, DSTU Release 3 (US Realm), Volume 1 | HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: Quality Reporting Document Architecture - Category I (QRDA I); Release 1, STU Release 5.3 with errata - US Realm, December 2022 (2023 SVAP Approved) |
§ 170.315(c)(2) - Clinical quality measures (CQMs) — import and calculate | Health Level 7 (HL7®) CDA® Release 2 Implementation Guide for: Quality Reporting Document Architecture – Category I (QRDA I); Release 1, DSTU Release 3 (US Realm), Volume 1 | HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: Quality Reporting Document Architecture - Category I (QRDA I); Release 1, STU Release 5.3 with errata - US Realm, December 2022 (2023 SVAP Approved) |
CMS Implementation Guide for Quality Reporting Document Architecture: Category I; Hospital Quality Reporting; Implementation Guide for 2020 | ||
CMS Implementation Guide for Quality Reporting Document Architecture: Category III; Eligible Clinicians and Eligible Professionals Programs; Implementation Guide for 2020 | ||
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level A Conformance, December 11, 2008 | Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, June 05, 2018 (Available 3/12/2021) (2020 SVAP Approved) | |
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA Conformance, December 11, 2008 | Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, June 05, 2018 (Available 3/12/2021) (2020 SVAP Approved) | |
§ 170.315(f)(6) Transmission to public health agencies – antimicrobial use and resistance reporting | HL7® Implementation Guide for CDA® Release 2 – Level 3: Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Reports, Release 1, U.S. Realm, August 2013 | HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Reports, Release 3 - US Realm, December 2020 (2022 SVAP Approved) |
§ 170.315(f)(7) - Transmission to public health agencies — health care surveys | HL7® Implementation Guide for CDA® Release 2: National Health Care Surveys (NHCS), Release 1 - US Realm, HL7® Draft Standard for Trial Use, Volume 1 - Introductory Material, December 2014 | HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: National Health Care Surveys (NHCS), R1 STU Release 3 - US Realm (Available 3/12/2021) (2020 SVAP Approved) |
HL7® FHIR® US Core Implementation Guide STU 3.1.1, August 8, 2020 | HL7® FHIR® US Core Implementation Guide STU 4.0.0, June 2021 (2022 SVAP Approved) | |
HL7® FHIR® Bulk Data Access (Flat FHIR®) (v1.0.0: STU 1), August 22, 2019 | HL7® FHIR® Bulk Data Access (Flat FHIR®) (v2.0.0: STU 2), November 26, 2021 (2022 SVAP Approved) | |
Applicability Statement for Secure Health Transport, Version 1.2, August 2015 (Direct) | Applicability Statement for Secure Health Transport Version 1.3, May 2021 (Direct) (2022 SVAP Approved) | |
Applicability Statement for Secure Health Transport, Version 1.2, August 2015 (Direct) | Applicability Statement for Secure Health Transport Version 1.3, May 2021 (Direct) (2022 SVAP Approved) |
Previously Approved SVAP Versions Incorporated by Reference in the Certification Program
Certification Criteria | Regulatory Standard Version(s) | Previous SVAP Version(s) Approved |
|---|---|---|
HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 2-US Realm, October 2019 | HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 4.1 - US Realm, June 2023 (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 3, October 2022 Errata (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 2-US Realm, October 2019 | HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 4.1 - US Realm, June 2023 (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 3, October 2022 Errata (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 2-US Realm, October 2019 | HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 4.1 - US Realm, June 2023 (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 2-US Realm, October 2019 | HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 4.1 - US Realm, June 2023 (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 3, October 2022 Errata (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 3, October 2022 Errata (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 2-US Realm, October 2019 | HL7® CDA® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide, Release 4.1 - US Realm, June 2023 (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 3, October 2022 Errata (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 1, July 2020 Errata | United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Version 3, October 2022 Errata (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
HL7® FHIR® US Core Implementation Guide STU 3.1.1, August 8, 2020 | HL7® FHIR® US Core Implementation Guide STU 6.1.0, June 30, 2023 (2023 SVAP Approved) | |
HL7® FHIR® SMART Application Launch Framework Implementation Guide Release 1.0.0, November 13, 2018 | HL7® FHIR® SMART Application Launch Framework Implementation Guide Release 2.0.0, November 26, 2021 (2022 SVAP Approved) |