Hearing on the Future of the VA's VistA Health Record System
January 1, 2021
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The Frame
The VA is replacing its decades-old health record system with a new commercial platform, a transition that affects how millions of veterans receive care and how VA staff manage medical data.
Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.
Veterans
The transition to a new health record system impacts the management of their medical data and care delivery.
VA Clinicians and Researchers
These staff members must transition from using VistA to the new commercial system for daily operations and data access.
Cerner
As the commercial provider, they are responsible for supplying the new electronic health record system to the VA.
Last recorded activity January 1, 2021.
Next step not available in the current record.
Summary
Key Facts
- The VA currently operates at least 130 different versions of the VistA system across 1,500 sites.
- The VA is transitioning from the legacy VistA system to a commercial electronic health record system provided by Cerner.
- A formal plan addressing the technical and policy aspects of the transition is expected to be completed by the fall of 2019.
- The transition plan requires concurrence from the Office of Information and Technology, the Veterans Health Administration, and the Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization.
- VistA was originally developed in the 1970s and is described as operating on an archaic coding language.
- Previous attempts by the VA to replace or update VistA have not been successful.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is VistA?
Why is the VA changing its health record system?
What system is replacing VistA?
Why It Matters
The VA is replacing its decades-old health record system with a new commercial platform, a transition that affects how millions of veterans receive care and how VA staff manage medical data.
News Coverage
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift to Commercial Off-the-Shelf Software
The VA is moving away from its custom-built, internal 'guerilla' IT projects toward a standardized commercial electronic health record system.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.govinfo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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