Is the U.S. Department of Defense finally ready to adopt the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA), the electronic health record system used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs? According to a commentary published this week by Nextgov's Bob Brewin, maybe.
Brewin says he's heard that VistA "has powerful backers in the Pentagon, including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel," who backed VistA in 1982 while serving as the deputy director of the Veterans Administration. He also says that the system "stands an excellent chance of becoming the [EHR] for both Defense and VA if top management does its job and overrules" Military Health Service officials.
One primary driver, according to Brewin, could be comedian Jon Stewart's criticism of the situation on "The Daily Show" last week. Post