VistA Decision on the Horizon

The future of the Veterans Affairs Department's VistA clinical information technology system likely will be clearer within two months, according to Roger Baker, the VA's assistant secretary for information and technology.

High-level talks are ongoing between VA and Defense Department officials about creation of a joint EHR system that would enable a virtual lifetime electronic health record for all current and former members of the military, Baker told an audience Monday at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's 2011 annual conference in Orlando, Fla.

“There is goodwill, good fellowship and good intent occurring on this path,” Baker said. “I am highly confident we will come to an agreement on that in 30 to 60 days.” The VA's VistA, developed in the 1980s as a leading-edge health IT effort, has come under fire because it is based on the decades-old MUMPS programming language.