August 2005

VA and CMS to offer EHR system to private practices

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs are collaborating to configure VistA, the VHA’s Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) technology, to stimulate nationwide adoption of electronic health records in the private physician office setting.

Targeted for release later this year, the new product will be known as the VistA-Office EHR. This project combines the strengths of both agencies to create a public-domain EHR system.

This Windows-compatible software will be available free, online for download. CMS intends to provide some limited technical support for initial installation and technical problem resolution with the software.

VistA-Office EHR will include functions of documentation, database management, and results reporting, and will be enhanced in the areas of patient registration in the physician’s office, interface to existing billing systems, and reporting of quality measures.

For healthcare providers, VistA-Office EHR will offer a new option for caring for patients with chronic diseases. This effort includes modifying the existing VistA functionality to:

With these modifications, the program is designed to offer benefits such as:

The program is also an open, standards-based foundation that vendors can use as a focal point for developing value-added enhancements such as installation, training, and support.

Currently used by more than 1,300 VA facilities, the VistA system already maintains the records of over 5 million veterans. It is also currently used by the Washington, DC, Department of Health, American Samoa, and the Oklahoma State Veterans Homes, and forms the core system for the Indian Health Services (RPMS) system.

Source: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT), www.os.dhhs.gov/healthit