Kendall: DoD 'May End Up With A VistA Derivative'

As the Defense Department seeks a commercial solution for its electronic health record, it may end up with something akin to the Veterans Affairs Department's Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture, or VistA, after all.

"I think, in an ideal world, [VA] would have preferred that we simply, you know, go along with them, but we don't--we may end up there. When we do the source selection, we may end up with a VistA derivative and be more common in software," said Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall, the man now tasked with modernizing DoD's health record system and ensuring records interoperability with the VA.

Kendall spoke about the department's recent decision during a May 22 press briefing, two days after a memo surfaced explaining DoD's intent to move forward with plans to acquire a commercial EHR solution.