VistA EHR

See the following -

VistA is Going Places, and Also Staying Put

The Veterans Health Administration's hospital software, VistA, is a computing legend. Few pieces of software have become the subject of a popular book (Best Care Anywhere), won repeated awards for their usability, or been credited with a 180-degree turn-around in an organization's quality. But VistA is getting long in the tooth, and many--including now the VA itself--are questioning whether it's time for something new.The speculations aren't just about VistA. They extend to all health care software of that generation, including the industry's leading electroinc health record (EHR) system--Epic--and the venerable Intermountain Healthcare.

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VistA Marketing Ramps Up in Advance of DoD EHR Award

Molly Bernhart Walker | FierceGovernmentIT | January 14, 2015

A marketing campaign aimed at raising the profile of the Veterans Affairs Department's open source electronic health record is in full swing. A non-profit group founded through a VA contract to advance the department's Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture has stood up a website, Twitter account and LinkedIn group to promote VistA. Read More »

VistA, AHLTA, CHCS: An Evolving Alternative Roadmap to the Future

The obstacles to continue moving U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in a common direction with regard to their clinical IT systems are fairly well-known. Having made that statement, it may therefore seem strange that this blog suggests that a conceptually simple technical approach may have the potential to untie the Gordian knot that has defeated many previous efforts. The proposed approach is not some yet-to-be-developed technology that exists only on Powerpoint slides. In fact, the proposed approach is based on technology that has already been validated by the-powers-that-be – at taxpayer expense – and the official conclusion in the official report on file at the DoD(1) states unambiguously and explicitly that the technology works as claimed is scalable, and can handle very large M/Caché systems.

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vxVistA Now Viewable in VistA Visualization Environment

Press Release | OSEHRA, DSS, Inc. | November 18, 2014

VIVIAN™ initiative gives new insight into VistA structure and dependencies; aids understanding and increases open source community collaboration

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Warren: VistA Is Here To Stay

Adam Mazmanian | FCW | March 20, 2015

The Pentagon eliminated a bid for an open-source health record solution based on the VISTA software developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs from its $11 billion electronic health record procurement, but that doesn't mean VA is going to shift gears in the future. "I do not see the VA moving away from VISTA," Steph Warren, acting CIO at the VA, said on a March 19 call with reporters. Read More »

Why Computerized Medical Records Are Bad for Both You and Your Doctor

Samuel Shem | Newsweek | November 1, 2019

We should not click for cash, but for care. We can use the data to benefit the patient-and the medical professionals...The EMR could have been a lifesaver. It still can be. If we get rid of on-screen, for-profit billing, and use electronic screens exclusively for care, we solve a lot of problems. We could create a true national health care system, modeled after our existing two national systems-Medicare/Medicaid and the VA. As in all other national systems, each procedure would cost about the same all over the country. On longitudinal charts showing the health of Americans as they age, a sharp rise in good health suddenly increases at age 65, when Medicare kicks in. Read More »

Why the VA Should Stick with VistA and Not Waste $16 Billion on an Attempt to Replace It

This VA leadership lull provides an opportunity for reflection. Specifically, it’s worth asking while we have the time whether Cerner is the right path for the VA to take. While the decision may seem like a no-brainer to some, the VA’s situation is unique and arguably calls for a singular approach to both existing organizational issues and a major healthcare IT decision. Specific to the Cerner decision, what should the new VA secretary consider?

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Why use EWD.js with VistA rather than a standard Node.js framework?

Why indeed should the VistA development community use EWD.js instead of one of the more well-known frameworks, and why use the InterSystems interface instead of a simple TCP-based connection and a Mumps-based socket-server? Read More »

Will Open Source Architecture Help Win the DOD EHR Contract?

Jennifer Bresnick | EHRIntelligence | December 1, 2014

The Department of Defense’s solicitation for a new EHR infrastructure has put $11 billion up for grabs, and the large-scale contract has attracted interest from some of the biggest names in the EHR market.  Each team is bringing something a little bit different to the table in regards to expertise and vision for the lengthy, complex project.  While interoperability is a top concern for everyone involved in the bidding, there’s more than one way to achieve it.

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Will Va Secretary McDonald Go Back To P&G For His CIO?

Bob Brewin | NextGov | August 1, 2014

Robert McDonald, the former Procter & Gamble CEO and secretary of Veterans Affairs since Wednesday afternoon, may enlist Filippo Passerini, the P&G chief information officer, as VA CIO, according to medium-strength signals I’ve picked up. The VA CIO slot has been empty since February 2013, when Roger Baker resigned. Read More »

Wisconsin reps trying to torpedo VA's open source strategy

For those of you folks who think that open health is a staid field, this week saw the unfolding of an epic scandal. NexGov's inimitable reporter, Bob Brewin, author of the column What's Brewin, got his hands on a stash of documents showing that elected representatives from Wisconsin are trying to torpedo the open source strategy being pursued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

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Workshop Lays Out Strategy for Common VistA Code Base

Who Says a Common VistA Code Base is Unattainable? Certainly not the Open Source Electronic Health Record Alliance (OSEHRA), nor 27 principal developers of VistA who participated in the first OSEHRA Code Alignment Workshop held in Oakland, California, last week. An unprecedented effort, the workshop brought together government and private organizations dedicated to open source solutions for the challenges facing healthcare. Its primary objective was to facilitate rapid innovation for the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA), the electronic health record (EHR) software used by Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities as well as hundreds of medical centers in the U.S. and abroad, totaling approximately 2,500 facilities worldwide. Read More »

Zoeticx Challenges Lack of Interoperability with Open Middleware Technology

Zoeticx software bridges the gap between medical data and quality patient care. The company offers software solutions for the healthcare industry which are dedicated to Improving Patient Outcomes®, enhancing the quality of care, containing costs, and simplifying administration. These solutions offer an immediate increase in the quality of care by delivering the right information to the right caregiver at the right time, in a manner that can be easily understood.  In making an impact on a new healthcare landscape ushered in by Obamacare and the medical industry itself, Zoeticx champions new paradigms through innovation with a patient-centric approach.  Its solutions are unique to their ability to address these problems. Read More »

Mike O'Neill and Seong K. Mun on OSEHRA - The VistA Open Source Custodial Agent

Event Details
Type: 
Seminar/Webinar
Date: 
March 1, 2012 - 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Those interested in finding out more about OSEHRA, the VistA Custodial Agent organization, will have a golden opportunity on March 1. Mike O'Neill - Senior Advisor, Veterans Affairs Innovation Initiative (VAi2) and OSEHRA Board Member and Dr. Seong K. Mun, founding President of CEO of OSEHRA will be giving a webinar presentation and detailed discussion on OSEHRA's background, mission and current status.

OSEHRA’s mission is to facilitate, through the use of the best practices in open source software development, the improvement and maintenance of EHR information systems.  These systems will be freely available for all medical beneficiaries. OSEHRA has been modeled after successful open source collaborative efforts and will welcome the contributions from all kinds of developers...

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VISTA Expo 2012

Event Details
Type: 
Conference
Date: 
September 11, 2012 - 8:00am - September 14, 2012 - 5:00pm
Location: 
Seattle, WA
United States

VISTA Expo and Symposium is an annual conference for VISTA vendors, customers, developers, instructors, and students. Just like last year, conference lodgings and events are all under one roof, but this year, that roof is conveniently close to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Join us for four days of insightful, thought-provoking discussion about VISTA and its future.

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