2025 Standards Version Advancement Process (SVAP) Fact Sheet 

Last Updated: June 2025

This fact sheet describes the voluntary Standards Version Advancement Process (SVAP) available to Health IT developers participating in the ONC Health IT Certification Program (Certification Program). This resource assists Certified Health IT developers in understanding SVAP and their responsibilities if they choose to leverage this flexibility.

What is SVAP?

The ONC Cures Act Final Rule (Final Rule) established the voluntary Standards Version Advancement Process (SVAP) flexibility as part of the Real World Testing Condition and Maintenance of Certification (45 CFR 170.405). SVAP allows Certified Health IT developers participating in the ONC Health IT Certification Program (Certification Program) to voluntarily update their Certified Health IT Modules and to provide newer versions of standards to their customers prior to their adoption in regulation so long as certain conditions are met.

SVAP allows for advanced versions of standards to be approved for use under the Certification Program in a more timely and flexible manner than is possible for new versions of standards that are adopted through ASTP rule making. It also gives Certified Health IT developers the ability to incorporate these new and more advanced standard versions into their Certified Health IT, which is essential to supporting real world interoperability. The process to identify, approve, and make available newer versions of standards takes place on an annual cycle to keep pace with the industry’s standards development efforts. Working with stakeholders and providing ample notice, ASTP’s collaborative public comment process seeks feedback each year on newer versions of eligible standards that are also ready for adoption in the Certification Program through the SVAP. For more information on the SVAP public comment process, please visit https://www.healthit.gov/isa/standards-version-advancement-process.

The process to identify, approve, and make available newer versions of standards takes place on an annual cycle to keep pace with the industry’s standards development efforts. Working with stakeholders and providing ample notice, ASTP’s collaborative public comment process seeks feedback each year on newer versions of eligible standards that are also ready for adoption in the Certification Program through the SVAP. For more information on the SVAP public comment process, please visit https://www.healthit.gov/isa/standards-version-advancement-process.

Note

Approved SVAP versions are announced in June each year and become effective for Certification Program use after a 60-day period in August of that year.

Approved Standards for 2025

The SVAP flexibility is limited to the standards adopted in the certification criteria that meet the Real World Testing Condition and Maintenance of Certification requirement. As part of ASTP’s review and assessment of the 2025 SVAP Cycle public comments, the newer versions of adopted standards listed in the table below have been approved for use in the Certification Program.

*Consistent with EO 14168 and OPM guidance, ASTP/ONC is exercising enforcement discretion and issuing certification guidance for conformance to the USCDI v3 standard. For more information, please visit: https://www.healthit.gov/topic/uscdi-v3- data-elements-enforcement-discretion-notice.

Certified Health IT developers can begin voluntarily incorporating these standard versions on August 29, 2025.

These are the standards that have been approved for the 2025 SVAP cycle. Several of the Approved SVAP Standards for 2023 have been incorporated by reference in the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification  Program Updates, Algorithm Transparency, and Information Sharing (HTI-1) Final Rule. Health IT Modules that have already updated to these standards via SVAP will not need to update their standard versions to meet requirements in HTI-1. However, there may be other required updates for their certified criteria. Certified Health IT developers that have not used SVAP to update standards referenced in HTI-1 may not use the SVAP process. Instead, Certified Health IT developers should follow the established processes in the ONC Health IT Certification Program to update Health IT Modules that reference standards in HTI-1. Please visit the ONC Health IT Certification Program SVAP webpage or contact your ONC-Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB) for more information on the update requirements related to HTI-1 Final Rule.

To SVAP to a newer version of USCDI, a developer must conform to either the HL7^® FHIR^® US Core Implementation Guide (IG) or the HL7^® CDA^® R2 Implementation Guide: C-CDA^® Templates for Clinical Notes R2.1 Companion Guide. ASTP will update all of the associated test data and tools, including the Cypress Testing Tool, the Edge Test Tool’s (ETT), C-CDA^® validators, and the Inferno Framework’s “g.10 Standardized API Test Kit” by December 31, 2025.

How to Use SVAP

For the approved SVAP versions, Certified Health IT developers choosing to leverage the SVAP flexibility can do so on initial certification of their Health IT Module or to maintain certification for their Module. To take advantage of the flexibility to update to newer approved versions, a Certified Health IT developer will need to:

• For existing certifications only, provide advance notice to all affected customers and their ONC-Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB), expressing
  • intent to update to the more advanced version of the standard;
  • expectations for how the update will affect interoperability of each affected Health IT Module; and
  • whether they intend to continue to support the certificate(s) for the existing Certified Health IT Module(s) version.
• Successfully demonstrate conformance with approved more recent versions of the standard(s) included in each updated certification criterion to confirm they meet the updated requirements.
• Maintain the updated Certified Health IT Module(s) in full conformance with all applicable Certification Program requirements, which includes ensuring their Real World Testing plans and results address the updated standards.

Unless ASTP specifically excludes the use of additional data elements or electronic standards in rulemaking, there is nothing that prevents a health IT developer from supporting additional data elements, functionalities, or electronic standards in its health IT modules. This could include the partial support of any of the SVAP versions of standards or individual data classes or elements from an SVAP version of USCDI. However, health IT developers may not indicate that those modules are certified to such standards or data elements unless the health IT module provides full support for the entire SVAP version of the standard and the developer has taken all of the steps listed above. Only when all of the above steps have been completed will a health IT module be considered certified to an SVAP version of a standard and then subsequently updated on the Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL).

For more information on how to use SVAP in the Certification Program, please contact your ONC-ACB.

Previously Approved SVAP Standards

A version of an adopted standard approved for use during any SVAP cycle remains available for certification until a newer SVAP version of that standard is approved.

If a newer SVAP version is approved, the previously approved SVAP version will be replaced and no longer available for use in the Certification Program. However, please note the following:

• Certified Health IT developers do not need to keep advancing to newer SVAP versions once they choose to use SVAP.
• No new certifications can be made to the replaced SVAP version once the newer version goes into effect in the Certification Program.
• Any certifications to the replaced SVAP version will still be valid.

SVAP Resources

• SVAP: See the most recent list of Approved Standards for SVAP and operational information for certification.
• SVAP Annual Process: View information on the annual process, including the list of standards versions being considered for the next Approved Standards List.
• ASTP Standards Bulletin: View and sign up for healthcare stakeholder alerts that include updates about ASTP health IT standards initiatives such as the SVAP.
• Certification Program Resources: Access reference documents and other resources related to the ONC Health IT Certification Program.