With more than 86 million Americans already using a health or fitness app, digital health brings new possibilities for the healthcare industry. But there has been no straightforward way for healthcare providers to know if a product is safe to use.
To address this assurance gap, the American College of Physicians (ACP), American Telemedicine Association (ATA), and the Organization for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA) developed the Digital Health Assessment Framework (DHAF): an open framework of 400 criteria, to support the identification and adoption of high-quality digital health technologies.
Crafted to support U.S.-specific guidelines, regulations and best practices, the DHAF supplies independent assurance that your product meets best practice and standards, keeping your digital health product where you want it to be, safe in the hands of patients.
Digital Health Assessment Framework
The DHAF supplies independent assurance that your product meets best practice and standards, keeping your digital health product where you want it to be, safe in the hands of patients.
For those seeking added technical assurance on the security of their app, the DHAF Plus (+DHAF) features a fourth category of checks around technical security and stability standards.
If your digital health product scores 65% or higher across the quality assurance domains, your product will be listed in a directory that health and care professionals across the USA can access to find products that are safe to recommend to patients.
DHAF assessment
The ORCHA assessment platform assesses products accurately and rapidly against the DHAF criteria. This includes:
- A confidential report on how well your product meets the DHAF criteria, with a unique insight into your competitive standing.
- If you pass, a certified badge that you can display online to provide independent proof of compliance.
- Products that meet the criteria are listed in a central directory. This is used by payers, providers, and insurers to identify technologies.
- A DHAF reassessment every time you update your digital health product.
+DHAF assessment
For those seeking added technical assurance on the security of their app, the Framework also includes the DHAF Plus (+DHAF), which features a fourth category of checks around technical security and stability standards.
An enhanced DHAF review of your digital health product will look at how secure it is.
To pass the DHAF and +DHAF, a product needs a score of 65% or above in all categories.
What is the Digital Health Assessment Framework (DHAF)?
The Digital Health Assessment Framework is a US assessment that checks if your digital health product, or health app, meets the requirements of 400 criteria. These are 400 questions that we answer to score your digital health product against three main domains: clinical assurance and safety, data and privacy, and usability and accessibility. An enhanced assessment includes a fourth domain: technical security and stability which reflects HIPAA guidelines in the United States and ensures appropriate provisions are in place for protected health information.
You need to pass the DHAF so your digital health product will surface on our customer organization Health App Libraries and Digital Health Formularies which we develop for health and care organizations to access digital health products.
How can I assess my digital health product against the DHAF?
We can assess your digital health product, or health app, against the DHAF as part of our annual assessment subscription service.
How much does a DHAF assessment cost?
Please contact us through our free online contact form to see what our current offers are and speak to our team for next steps.
News
American Telemedicine Association Partners with ORCHA to Launch US Digital Health Framework
The American Telemedicine Association worked with ORCHA in the development of the new US Digital Health Assessment Framework to enable healthcare providers, insurers, and employers to give patients access to safe and effective health apps.
ORCHA’s world-leading assessment technology allows healthcare organizations to assess thousands of apps against more than 350 safety measures, to build and manage a health app program.
