VistA

VistA (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) is a nationwide information system and Electronic Health Record (EHR) developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It is used across the VA's hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. VistA supports clinical, administrative, and financial operations.

History

VistA was developed in the 1970s and 1980s by a group of VA clinicians and IT professionals who sought to create a system that would help improve patient care. The system was initially called DHCP (Decentralized Hospital Computer Program) and was renamed VistA in 1996.

Features

VistA includes a wide range of features, including patient registration, order entry, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, and nutrition and dietetics. It also includes a comprehensive EHR, which provides a complete electronic record of patient interactions with the VA healthcare system.

Implementation

VistA has been implemented in all VA hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. It is also used by the Department of Defense, the Indian Health Service, and healthcare providers in other countries.

Open Source

In 2011, the VA announced that it would release VistA as open source software, allowing other organizations to use and modify the system. This has led to the development of several VistA-based EHR systems, including WorldVistA and vxVistA.

See also

• Electronic Health Record
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Open source software

VistA Resources
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