World Vista

1. WORLDVISTA CONTINUED TO PROVIDE A MEANINGFUL USE CERTIFIED, SLIGHTLY MODIFIED VERSION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OPEN SOURCE ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD SYSTEM, VISTA CALLED WORLDVISTA EHR. IT IS SUITABLE FOR USE OUTSIDE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND IS PROVIDED FOR DOWNLOAD ENTIRELY FREE OF CHARGE WITH INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. THIS ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD HAS AN OPEN SOURCE LICENSE AND IS MAINTAINED, UPDATED AND IMPROVED BY WORLDVISTA AND ITS VOLUNTEERS. WORLDVISTA EHR IS USED IN HOSPITALS AND CLINICS WORLDWIDE INCLUDING IN THE US, INDIA AND JORDAN AND IS GENERALLY USED IN PLACES WITH LIMITED RESOURCES THAT CANNOT AFFORD TO IMPLEMENT THE FOR PROFIT EHRS (SUCH AS CERNER AND EPIC) YET OFFERS THEM THE AS MUCH IF NOT MORE THAN THE FOR-PROFIT SYSTEMS IN CAPABILITY. 2. WORLDVISTA HOSTS AT LEAST TWO SUPPORT CONFERENCE CALLS A WEEK THAT ARE DEVOTED TO HELPING THOSE USING OR SUPPORTING WORLDVISTA EHR OR TO SOLVING PROBLEMS OR IMPROVING WORLDVISTA EHR. MUCH TIME IS ALSO BEING DEVOTED BY VOLUNTEERS TO PREPARING WORLDVISTA EHR FOR MEANINGFUL USE STAGE 2 CERTIFICATION. VOLUNTEERS ALSO WORK AS TIME PERMITS PROVIDING THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF WORK TOWARD HELPING TO MAINTAIN AND ADVANCE VISTA, WORLDVISTA EHR AND THE COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS VISTA. 3. WORLDVISTA HOSTS A CONFERENCE EACH YEAR IN CONCERT WITH A UNIVERSITY WHO PROVIDES USE OF THEIR FACILITIES TO HOST THE CONFERENCES. THESE CONFERENCES BRING TOGETHER ANYONE WITH AN INTEREST IN VISTA, WHICH INCLUDES GOVERNMENT, ADOPTERS, USERS, ACADEMICIANS, DEVELOPERS, IMPLEMENTERS AND VOLUNTEERS OF ALL INTERESTS TO DISCUSS ADVANCES AND IDEAS AND ONGOING ACTIVITIES AND TRAINING FOR THE USE OF VISTA, NOT JUST WORLDVISTA EHR. THESE CONFERENCES ARE THREE DAYS LONG. THE 37TH WORLD VISTA COMMUNITY CONFERENCES WERE HELD AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY IN FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA IN JUNE. 4. VISTA IS USED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES IN MANY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE US. THE OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL COORDINATOR FOR HEALTH IT FUNDED A PROJECT TO DEVELOP LESSON PLANS AND TO ADAPT VISTA AS PROVIDED BY THE VA FOR USE IN COURSES TO TRAIN PEOPLE TO USE AND SUPPORT ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS. THREE UNIVERSITIES RECEIVED GRANTS. WORLDVISTA AND ITS VOLUNTEERS PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FREE OF CHARGE TO SUPPORT THAT USE, IN PARTICULAR, ALSO PORTED THE VERSION OF VISTA THAT THEY WERE USING TO AN ALL OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE STACK OF SOFTWARE CONSISTING OF VISTA, GT.M AND LINUX SO THAT IT CAN BE FREELY DOWNLOADED AND DISTRIBUTED. WORLDVISTA WILL HELP MAINTAIN THE EHR TECHNICALLY FOR THE PROJECT THAT WILL NOW BE SUSTAINED BY VOLUNTEERS. THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY HOPES TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE VOLUNTEERS TO CONTRIBUTE THE COURSE MATERIALS AND DEMO PATIENTS FOR THE PROJECT. 5. WORLDVISTA, WITH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY AND HEWLETT PACKARD AS WELL AS OF ITS VOLUNTEERS MAINTAINS DEVELOPMENT AND TEST SERVERS FOR USE IN ADVANCING WORLDVISTA EHR. MOST OF THE WORK DONE IS ALSO USEABLE BY OTHER OPEN SOURCE VERSIONS OF VISTA. 6. WORLDVISTA MEMBERS AND ITS VOLUNTEERS ALSO PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE OPEN SOURCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT INPUT TO THE DISCUSSION AND WORK GROUPS OF OSEHRA (HTTP://OSEHRA.ORG) THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF VISTA. IT IS NOT A CORPORATE MEMBER OF THE ORGANIZATION.