RPMS: An Alternative to the VA VistA Electronic Health Record (EHR) System

Peter Groen & Dr. Terry Cullen | Virtual Medical Worlds | July 1, 2007

If one were looking to acquire and implement a comprehensive ‘open source’ electronic health record (EHR) system, serous consideration should be paid to the Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS) used by the Indian Health Service (IHS). RPMS is an adaptation of the VistA health information system originally developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), modified to meet the needs of IHS. RPMS is an integrated health information system ideally suited for implementation in healthcare facilities of varying sizes and complexity. Patients treated at IHS facilities tend to include a diverse mix of all age patients, males and females. While RPMS is deployed at many IHS inpatient facilities, it is more heavily utilized in ambulatory care settings.