VA kicks off $9M VistA contest

Everyone likes a good competition, particularly with a potential $9 million gold carrot available to the victors. On Wednesday, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced via Twitter a challenge for software developers to create a new medical scheduling system for the VA's nationwide health system.

Three winners could be awarded up to $3 million each for creating an open-source and open application program interface (API)-based system to replace components of VA’s 25-year-old scheduling software in its VistA electronic health record system.

“This contest marks a major change in direction by VA, away from software that is so customized that only VA can use it, toward open standards and commercial systems that build on proven practices,” said VA Secretary Eric Shinseki in a department press release. “The competition will help us serve veterans by encouraging ideas to provide more personalized care.”