Senior Health Officials in US to Examine Veteran System

A DELEGATION of senior health service managers and doctors is in Washington this week to examine information technology and systems which are being used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the US. The Department of Health said the trip to Washington was intended to develop a clear understanding of the capacities and advantages of a particular system, known as VistA, which was in use by the VA.

It said this system had a particular attraction in that it was open source software, which is generally free to use and develop. This means that it could be widely used in an Irish healthcare context. The Department of Health said that the visit, which it is funding jointly with St James’s Hospital, Dublin, “will also allow an appreciation of the organisation-wide systems that allow for an integrated approach to the delivery of services to four million veterans...”