Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture

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The Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) is an enterprise-wide information system built around an electronic health record, used throughout the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical system, known as the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). ^[1] By 2001, the VHA was the largest single medical system in the United States, providing care to 4 million veterans, employing 180,000 medical personnel and operating 163 hospitals, over 800 clinics and 135 nursing homes. ^[2]

Contents 1 Features 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Features

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has had automated data processing systems within its medical facilities since before 1985, ^[3] beginning with the Decentralized Hospital Computer Program (DHCP) information system, including extensive clinical and administrative capabilities. In 1995, DHCP was enshrined as a recipient of the Computerworld Smithsonian Award for best use of Information Technology in Medicine.

VistA supports both ambulatory and inpatient care, and includes several significant enhancements to the original DHCP system. The most significant is a graphical user interface known as the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) for clinicians released in 1997. In addition, VistA now includes computerized order entry, bar code medication administration, electronic prescribing and clinical guidelines.

CPRS provides a client-server interface for health care providers to review and update a patient’s electronic medical record. This includes the ability to place orders, including medications, special procedures, x-rays, patient care nursing orders, diets, and laboratory tests. CPRS is flexible enough to be implemented in a wide variety of settings for a broad spectrum of health care workers and provides a consistent, event-driven, Windows-style interface.

For its development of VistA, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), was named a recipient of the prestigious Innovations in American Government Award presented by the Ash Institute of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in July, 2006.

The VistA system is public domain software, available through the Freedom Of Information Act on the VA website. ^[4] The VistA Software Alliance is a non-profit organization that promotes the widespread adoption of VistA nationally by non-VA healthcare facilities. ^[5]

VistA was developed using the M or MUMPS language/database. Currently available releases can utilize both GT.M, an open source database engine for Linux and Unix computers, and InterSystems Caché, a commercial database with backwards compatibility for Mumps applications.

Although VistA usually is run as a stand-alone application, it has evolved interfaces to be able to communicate with commercial off-the-shelf products via a service called the Kernel Broker. It can also communicate with other applications using Health Level 7 and other protocols.

[edit] See also

• Electronic health record
• Health informatics
• GNUmed
• MUMPS
• Veterans Health Administration
• United States Department of Veterans Affairs

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• VISTA Monograph. Veterans Administration. Retrieved on October 7, 2005.
• WorldVistA. Retrieved on October 7, 2005. - Home of the OpenVistA project
• WorldVistA Wiki. Retrieved on February 3, 2007.
• Hardhats. Retrieved on October 7, 2005. - a VistA user community
• Innovations Award. Retrieved on July 25, 2006. - Ash Institute News Release
• VistA Software Alliance. Retrieved on December 1, 2006.