FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 20, 2005 The Pacific Telehealth & Technology Hui (“Hui”) announced the completion of Hui OpenVista 3.0, the first major upgrade of the software since June 2003. In a technology transfer initiative, the Hui released the software upgrade to WorldVistA for use as a baseline in developing OpenVista 4.0.
The Hui development team made several key enhancements to Hui OpenVista –
most notably a more streamlined configuration process. Release 3.0 provides
a preconfigured baseline system that simplifies the steps needed to convert
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) version of VistA to OpenVista. This
enables users to quickly download the baseline as a starting point for
configuring the system to their specific requirements.
OpenVista, a non-proprietary, open-source healthcare information system, is
based on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) enterprise-wide VistA
system. WorldVistA, a not-for-profit organization of VistA developers, plans
to conduct validation testing of Hui OpenVista 3.0 before distributing
OpenVista 4.0 to test sites next month. The Hui initially funded and managed
the development and release of OpenVista in collaboration with WorldVistA to
enable non-VA hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Pacific to
implement a healthcare information system free of licensing costs.
Release 3.0 provides a preconfigured baseline system using the March 2004
VistA FOIA with selected VA patches (through January 2005) applied to the
system’s core modules, including the Kernel, Scheduling, Outpatient
Pharmacy, Order Entry, Laboratory, Text Integration Utility and RPC broker.
In addition, the Outpatient Pharmacy database has been populated with a
minimum subset of current drugs and matched to the Orderable Item and Order
Quick View files.
At the April VistA Community Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, WorldVistA
stepped forward to serve as gatekeeper and configuration manager for all
future releases of OpenVista software. In May, the Hui transferred the Hui
OpenVista technology to WorldVistA. As a result, Hui OpenVista 3.0 will not
be available as a separate release from the Hui web site.
“This represents a significant step forward in the transfer of VistA
technology as an enterprise solution for hospitals and clinics outside of
the VA,” said Pacific Telehealth & Technology Hui Director Stanley M. Saiki,
Jr., M.D. “Since its release in 2003, interest in Hui OpenVista has grown
substantially spurring the economic development needed to support the
increased demand for affordable healthcare information systems.”
Since the initial release of Hui OpenVistaTM in June 2003 nearly 2000
downloads of the software have been licensed and executed from the Hui web
site ( www.pacifichui.org <http://www.pacifichui.org/> ) by healthcare,
software development and medical research organizations.
The Pacific Telehealth & Technology Hui was formed in 1999 under joint
agreement with the DoD Pacific Regional Medical Command at Tripler Army
Medical Center and the Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care System
in Honolulu, and the encouragement and support of U.S. Senator Daniel K.
Inouye. The DoD/VA joint venture serves as a healthcare research and
application development center for developing telemedicine and technology
programs that support the healthcare needs of federal beneficiaries in the
Pacific region. The Hui is headquartered at Tripler Army Medical Center in
the VA Spark Matsunaga Medical Center in Honolulu.
For more information contact:
Nancy Downes
Marketing Specialist
(808) 531-2743
Nancy.Downes@pacifichui.org <mailto:stanley.saiki@med.va.gov>
www.pacifichui.org