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VA Chooses Small Firm For EHR Custodial Agent

Open source modernization is the "best approach" for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and veterans as far as bringing the Veterans Integrated System Technology Architecture (VistA) current, according to VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker. The VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) agreed this past May to develop an electronic health record (EHR) in a joint effort for both departments, and that agreement approved of using open source software.

In order to make that joint EHR a reality, a custodial agent would have to be put into place. That $5 million contract was recently awarded to Informatics Applications Group (IAG). IAG is a small technology company owned solely by women. Because of the firm's size, subcontractors will have to be brought in to fulfill IAG's contractual obligations.

IAG's responsibilities are key, as they will be spearheading the VA's "next-generation electronic health record open source software." As a custodial agent for the open source software venture, IAG will be responsible for designing, building, and managing a "code repository."

The VA will use this repository to:

 

·      push through VistA updates when needed; and

·      supply the necessary software to the health care community nationwide.

 

IAG's role will be to moderate and characterize the interactions between software developers, network users, service providers, and vendors. This is the chief responsibility of the custodial agent and one that will be paramount over the course of the next 10 years because both contributors and users must feel confident the open source software is being properly managed.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.