VA CIO: ‘When we get it done, it will be open source’

The joint electronic health record for the Veterans Affairs and Defense Departments will in effect be open source when it is complete, according to a senior VA official, who provided more details about how that will occur. VA is developing an open source track to modernize its VistA electronic health record and will incorporate the approach with DOD in the joint system. DOD has become more excited by open source and “sees it as a strong contributor as we move ahead,” said Roger Baker, VA CIO.

The departments will evaluate the modules available through the open source community as a primary method for sourcing their joint and integrated electronic health record (iEHR). “As VA moves VistA forward to become the joint EHR system – I use the word ‘morph’ – we’re going to do that through the open source. So in effect the iEHR, when we get done, will be in the open source,” he said Aug. 31 in a briefing with reporters...