A Guided Tour of: VistA Computerized Patient Record System Electronic Health Records Software Review: A Hands-on View of What It's Like to Install, Learn, and Use VistA CPRS

INDEPENDENT, RIGOROUS, & OBJECTIVE: The Guided Tour is a self-contained resource with essential information an organization needs to conduct a due diligence evaluation of electronic health records software. This Guided Tour is focused on VistA CPRS (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture Computerized Patient Record System) software, available for free as a download from the Veterans Administration website. This report presents key decisions and important considerations that should be weighed before spending valuable time and thousands of dollars implementing an EHR solution, and VistA CPRS in particular. Especially for smaller medical practices and hospitals, it is cost prohibitive to hire outside IT professionals to conduct a thorough system evaluation of EHR software before it is selected. The Guided Tour is a cost-effective way for healthcare providers to do their due diligence quickly before making a sizable investment in healthcare information technology. The launch of TCR’s new Guided Tour series coincides with the opening of the reimbursement period for the U.S. government's $27 billion ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) incentive program to drive the adoption of electronic health records. To qualify for reimbursements, healthcare providers must demonstrate "meaningful use" of an electronic health record system. For many, the ARRA "meaningful use" incentives cover only a fraction of the EHR's true cost – which can range from $10,000 to $100,000 per eligible provider. Research shows the failure rates for EHR implementations approach 50%. Given the high costs and high failure rates for EHR system adoptions, the Guided Tour is an essential, trusted resource to help ensure good decision making.