VistA Awards
- Initially called the Decentralized Hospital Computer Program (DHCP) information system, DHCP was enshrined as a recipient of the Computerworld Smithsonian Award for best use of Information Technology in Medicine in 1995.
- For its development of VistA, the VHA was named the recipient of the prestigious Innovations in American Government Award presented by the Ash Institute of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in July, 2006 (VistA Innovation Fact Sheet).
- VA hospitals using VistA are one of only three hospital systems that have achieved the qualifications for HIMSS stage 7, the highest level of electronic health record integration, while a non-VA hospital using VistA is one of only 42 US hospitals that have achieved HIMSS stage 6.
- The VistA electronic medical records system is estimated to improve efficiency by 6% per year, and the monthly cost of the EMR is offset by eliminating the cost of even a few unnecessary tests or admissions. The adoption of VistA has allowed the VA to achieve a pharmacy prescription accuracy rate of 99.997%, and the VA outperforms most public sector hospitals on a variety of criteria, enabled by the implementation of VistA (Quality of Healthcare Measure).
- The Institute of Medicine recognized the VA’s integrated health information system, including its framework for using performance measures to improve quality,” and declared it “one of the best in the nation.”
- In fact, VistA played a key role in helping the VA become the largest case study ever of objectively improving care.
- Peer-review articles comparing the quality of VA healthcare to Medicare recipients documented that the VA clearly demonstrated higher compliance with performance standards, unparalleled patient safety improvements, and better health outcomes.
- These improvements have led many to consider the VA as a “model” healthcare delivery organization and the VistA software as a foundational element in the creation of a National Healthcare Information Network.