CMS caused a stir last month when it announced a giveaway to America's physicians: a free electronic health records system long used in the Veterans Health Administration's more than 1,300 inpatient and outpatient facilities.
The original software program, VistA (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) was modified for physician office use and renamed VistA Office EHR, or VOE. The product's release to the public, scheduled for Aug. 1, has been delayed, but as soon as staff at the Academy's Center for Health Information Technology can get their hands on the VOE software, they'll be checking it out on behalf of AAFP members.
"There's been lots of buzz about this product," said Steven Waldren, M.D., assistant director of CHiT. "We at CHiT are waiting for the release of this product so we can evaluate it using the same criteria we use to evaluate all health information technology products."
According to Waldren, CHiT will monitor the costs that practices incur with the implementation of VOE and will compare those costs with those of commercial systems. Member reviews of VOE also will be posted on the CHiT Web site just as members now post reviews of commercial EHR systems there.
Although CMS' goal is to offer small physician practices a free high-quality, low-cost EHR system, Waldren said some issues still need to be addressed, including:
- Cost. CMS says VOE is free to anyone who wants to use it, but some costs associated with implementing and using an EHR system have not been taken into account, said Waldren. "What about training, implementation and technical support?" he asked. Physicians also would need to customize the product to fit their practice needs. The cost of these necessities alone could potentially reach $10,000 to $12,000, said Waldren, "and that doesn't include the base hardware and computers."
- Efficiency. It remains to be seen if VOE can really meet the needs of family physicians. "Are the current features usable and efficient for a 30-patient-a-day family physician office?" asks Waldren.
- Obstacles. The original VistA program earned a "difficult to install" label from many physicians, said Waldren. Is VOE easier to install? "VistA came with a lengthy list of issues for small and medium-size practices, and it will be interesting to see if they have been solved," said Waldren.
Want to know more? Check out a list of questions and answers about VOE posted on the CHiT Web site.
