VistA is a fully functional, fully integrated, enterprise-wide electronic health record system, and is one of the most powerful information systems ever developed. VistA’s modular structure allows the EHR to be precisely tailored to fit the needs of any type of healthcare organization from simple to complex and everything in between. Because VistA is available in the public domain, there are no license fees to use the software, which significantly reduces total cost of ownership.

Electronic health records are receiving increased recognition today as an important tool for improving the quality and reducing the cost of healthcare. The VA has documented the benefits of VistA’s EHR functionality to include the following:

• Improves quality of patient care by providing all patient data in one easy-to-access repository
• Reduces potential of medical errors due to lack of data or poor handwriting
• Increases patient safety
• Facilitates communication among caregivers
• Allows data to be entered at the point of service
• Reduces time spent searching for patient information
• Allows data to be shared among different sites
• Reduces cost by eliminating duplicate orders
• Eliminates redundant record-keeping
• Simplifies data collection for research and reporting
• Provides enhanced data privacy and security protections.