VA to Use More Challenges in Developing EHRs

Department of Veterans Affairs Chief Information Officer Roger Baker said he will look to increase the agency’s use of challenges when it comes to the development of electronic health records to lower procurement risks.

Baker said this morning that using challenges that are compatible with open source increases the likelihood of getting him a better technology solution than the traditional government procurement policy while spending a similar amount of money.

“Open source creates budget opportunities,” Baker said at AFCEA Bethesda’s Health IT Day at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. “We get a lot more for the dollars we spend.”