CMS announced Sept. 19 that an evaluation version of VistA Office Electronic Health Record, or VistA-Office, has been released to software vendors for distribution to a small number of physician offices for testing. It is hoped the testing process will permit updating by qualified vendors to ensure a certified version of the software is developed for more widespread implementation.
VistA-Office is an adaptation of EHR technology currently used by the Veterans Health Administration. A flurry of media attention followed CMS' July announcement that it was prepared to make the EHR software widely available to physicians in the private sector, but release of the software, expected Aug. 1, was delayed until now.
In a Sept. 19 news release, CMS made it clear the product is in the testing phase and that the federal government's goal in offering the software now is to push the nation toward a high-tech, high-quality and low-cost health care system.
"The release of an evaluation version of VistA-Office will provide a testing laboratory for interoperability and will supplement efforts by the American Health Information Community to establish … certification criteria and (a certification) process," said CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. "When fully realized, electronic health record software will help physicians improve health care quality while avoiding unnecessary costs."
The news release also made it clear the evaluation version of VistA-Office is not free to testers, citing several set-up and implementation costs, including fees for obtaining the computer disk, as well as licensing and support fees.
For now, VistA-Office is available only from qualified vendors. Physicians and clinics interested in participating in the testing program can visit "Evaluation version of VistA-Office EHR released" on the VistA-Office EHR Web site to learn more about the testing opportunity.
