California hospital says it's first to self-implement VistA

Hard to believe--and we'd like to see some more proof ourselves--but a California hospital claims that it is the first in the country to download the VA's VistA EMR software and tailor the open-source system for its own use. Whether it's truly the first, Oroville Medical Center is implementing VistA not through a third party such as Medsphere Systems, WorldVista or a major consulting firm, but by doing all the modifications in-house, the Oroville Mercury Register reports.

The organization chose VistA not only for the lower cost of acquisition but because it's something many clinicians already know how to use. "A lot of the younger doctors and nurses coming out of medical school have served their residencies at VA hospitals, so they are familiar with the system," CIO Denise Lafevre tells the newspaper.

VistA already is up and running at the majority of Oroville's outpatient clinics, and should be in place at the flagship Oroville Hospital within a year.

To learn more:
- check out this Oroville (Calif.) Mercury Register story

Related Articles:
Is VistA a viable replacement for paper records?
Are open source EMRs a threat to HIMSS?

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