How To Spot Opportunities In VA's Health Record Quest

The story of federal electronic health records (EHRs) has taken another turn, with solicitations released by of the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments.. The VA thinks its Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) Evolution Program could be the standardized EHR format across VA and the DOD – and they aim to prove it by pursuing DOD’s Department Healthcare Management Systems Modernization (DHMSM) contract, now in its third revision. (This version much more specifically lays out the requirements for the contract and removes the veterinary record requirement.)

The VA’s approach for developing the latest iteration of VistA – a contest among contractors with a cash prize for the best solutions – is a less than ideal approach. At the same time, though, it could be an excellent opportunity for the products community to have its solutions baked into the project early.  Contests are not new to government problem-solving. Under the America COMPETES Act, the government can hold a contest to solicit ideas from contractors that the government would then own and implement itself...