Federal News Network: The Full Story Behind the VA’s EHRM Modernization Program
The public focus of EHR modernization has been on configuring a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution that blends all the requirements that are unique to the VA with a system that is widely used in the commercial sector. But equally or even more importantly, the VA needs to continue to invest in, maintain, and upgrade its current EHR – the Veterans Health Information System Technology Architecture (VistA).
Those are the views of our own David Whitmer, FACHE, vice president for federal operations at DSS Inc. Federal News Network recently published his article on the topic.
David explains that no matter what the outcome of the COTS solution, VistA will remain the vital backbone of VA operations. VistA supports many other functions across the VA other than the EHR and will continue to be the only system used in VA medical centers across the country waiting for the new COTS EHR. Even if the COTS deployment – currently on hold and being reevaluated – proceeds according to schedule, the last of the VA’s 171 hospitals would not receive it until 2036.
Investing in an Award-Winning EHR
The VA practically invented EHR technology. More than 30 years ago, it invested in a system that was designed by VA medical professionals for the unique needs of the world’s largest integrated medical system. VistA was and is based on an open architecture platform that has always been accessible to all commercial vendors, large and small.
In a 2014 Medscape survey of more than 18,000 physicians, the VA’s homegrown Computerized Provider Record System (CPRS), the EHR component of VistA, was ranked number one among all the nation’s EHRs, scoring first in seven categories, including physician satisfaction, staff satisfaction, ease of data entry, connectivity, and reliability. In 2016, Medscape surveyed 16,000 physicians and the result was the same – the VA’s CPRS ranked first in the nation again.
Investing in both the new EHR and VistA is a wise policy to ensure veteran safety and continuity of care. It’s a recognized best practice for any large IT enterprise transitioning to a new ecosystem. Any organization as large and complex as the VA healthcare enterprise needs to maintain its existing ecosystem until the transition to a new EHR is complete and fully tested.
And VistA can be modernized without requiring any additional funding. The VA has provided Congress with a revised estimate of the funding it will need in fiscal 2025 to support the continued deployment of the new EHR. This new estimate is $500 million less than the President requested earlier this year. So, some of these savings can be invested in needed VistA upgrades.
Additional investment in VistA minimizes cost, risk, time, and operational disruption while preserving and extending the VA’s homegrown VistA platform. After all, VistA was designed specifically for the VA’s unique workflows and requirements. This is as true today as it was six years ago when the decision was made to adopt the COTS EHR solution.
To understand more, you can read David’s full article here. And to learn more about how DSS, Inc. supports the VA’s strategic priorities, please click here.