VISTA-based solution eliminated from DoD health record procurement

The Department of Defense has trimmed the list of bidders on its $11 billion procurement for an electronic health records system, and the open-source entrant, a PwC-led bid using a commercial version of the VISTA health record created by the Department of Veterans Affairs, isn't going forward.

The procurement recently entered a competitive range period, according to contracting documents posted on the FedBizOpps website. Only those bids that fell within the range are being considered.

"PwC remains committed to helping support the health and well-being of our troops and their families. We will continue to work closely with the Defense Department in any capacity that serves those goals," Scott McIntyre, PwC U.S. Public Sector Managing Partner, said in an email.

Steph Warren, CIO at VA, is among those who hoped that a VISTA solution would prevail at DoD.

"I'm respectful of what my partners in DOD what their mission is and what the mission differences are. Again, [I'm] disappointed. But they run within their acquisition world and they're meeting their standards," Warren said on a Feb. 24 conference call with reporters. "We're making sure no matter what solution they select, interoperability will not be impacted. And we're going to continue working on evolving VISTA and supporting other organizations who've chosen this product as the way for them to do health care delivery," he said.

The IBM-led bid using the EPIC medical record is still in the running, per an IBM spokesperson. The Leidos Partnership for Defense Health, which is based on the Cerner health record and includes Accenture, is also in the mix, per a group spokesperson. There was no comment regarding a CSC-led effort using the Allscripts medical record, although other sources suggest that there are three total active bids at this point in the procurement.

Updated Feb. 25 to include comment from the Leidos Partnership for Defense Health.