Industry anticipates MUMPS decision on VA's VistA modernization

As the Veterans Affairs Department considers an open source development program to modernize its Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) medical record system, officials eventually will have to decide whether to retain all or part of the existing computer language of the system, according to industry members involved in the project.

As the Veterans Affairs Department considers an open source development program to modernize its Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) medical record system, officials eventually will have to decide whether to retain all or part of the existing computer language of the system, according to industry members involved in the project.

The VA recently issued a Request for Information asking industry members to address concerns related to the proposed adoption of an open source development plan for VistA, including licensing and governance structures.

Though the RFI did not explicitly mention the MUMPS (Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System) programming language that is the basis of VistA, many industry members believe that it will be necessary to make a decision on whether to quit or retain MUMPS before, or during, an open source modernization program for VistA.