VA and VistA Reports/Studies
2010
IAC: VistA Modernization Report
Subtitled "Legacy to Leadership," the VistA Modernization Working Group of the Industry Advisory Group to the Department of Veterans Affairs released its long-awaited VistA Modernization Report, May 6, 2010. Click on VistA Modernization for the full report, on ACT IAC for the IAC news release.
Partners CITL: $3.09B Payoff on VA EHR
According to a Center for IT Leadership (Partners Healthcare) study published in the April 2010 Health Affairs, the VA's health system performed better than the private health sector for certain quality measures. The six Boston, Mass., researchers—including health IT thought leader Blackford Middleton, MD—estimated that, by 2007, VA's investments in four health IT systems (including VistA) yielded about $3.09 billion in "cumulative benefits net of investment costs." Researchers examined savings from four key areas including avoiding hospital admissions and reducing unnecessary medical tests. Click on VistA ROI for iHealthBeat's report on this study, on EHR Investment for the abstract.
2009
VA: 'Extreme Makeover'
Between 1995 and 1999, the VA healthcare system was re-engineered to focus on management accountability, care coordination, quality improvement, resource allocation and information management, say Kenneth W. Kizer, MD, MPH, and R. Adams Dudley, MD, MBA, in "Extreme Makeover: Transformation of the Veterans Health Care System" (2009 Annual Review of Public Health). Numerous systemic changes were implemented, producing dramatically improved quality, service and operational efficiency. VA healthcare is now considered among the best in America, and the VA transformation is viewed as a model for healthcare reform. Click on VA Transformation to read more.
2004
VA scores 'significantly higher'
A 2004 Annals of Internal Medicine study compares the quality of care at the VA with a national sample and finds that the VA scores "significantly higher for adjusted overall quality." Click on Pay for Performance to access the study (PDF).