I am afraid that part in the report that said that " VA culture inhibits
"raising risks, issues, problems or differing opinions" translates into
people will be risking their jobs to talk to you and be quoted. However, a
search through the Hardhats archives will reveal some who have taken the
chance and have spoken out on the mailing list despite knowing that it is
risky to stick out your neck where others may be watching.
My take on it is that the M programmers and others within the VA and on the
outside are eager to have an opportunity to do what they have wanted to do
but have been prevented from doing for years, which is to work on
re-engineering the existing VistA, still in M, to modularize it and clean up
the code to make some of the very things that management complains about
regarding VistA go away. No only would that remove some of the complaints
about about VistA ("it takes $1,000,000 to change a line of code") but it
would make it easier to port to another language should that ever need to be
done.
This concept that there are not enough M programmers so it can't be done is
bogus. In my experience, programmers know multiple languages and M as easy
to learn as any other. If there are so few M programmers, how is it that
other large M based medical record systems persist and new ones get made but
the VA can't do that? I also think that many of the changes that are being
made that tap into VistA to get data are supported by the programmers, maybe
in the form they are in or something different, but allowing Java based
programs to make use of the data in the M Database is all well and good - a
multilayered architecture is not opposed by those I have discussed this with.
However, there is something to the fact that the people who best know VistA
are getting older and it is time to let them direct the job they are so eager
to do and let them fix VistA. Maybe this will be the kick in the pants for
everyone that might allow this to happen.
On Wednesday 13 April 2005 02:24 pm, Joseph Conn wrote:
> Any Hardhats/WorldVistA folks want to comment on this Carnegie report story
> for a story I'm working on??? I've got calls into the VA for comment.
>
> Joseph Conn
> Staff writer
> Modern Physician
> ModernPhysician.com
> Modern Physician STAT
> Heatlh IT Strategist
> 312-649-5395
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Check out the NEW ModernPhysician.com, and register now for Modern
> Physician Stat and Modern Physician Alert
>
> >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 04/13/05 11:53AM >>>
>
> VA faces another computer problem
> By PAUL DE LA GARZA and STEPHEN NOHLGREN Published April 13, 2005
>
> A report done for the administration suggests that the VA's
> multibillion-dollar plan to upgrade its system is "not realistic."
>
> A $3.5-billion computer overhaul at veterans hospitals across the country
> is poised to fail unless the Department of Veterans Affairs makes drastic
> changes, according to a closely guarded government study obtained by the
> St. Petersburg Times .
> http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/13/Worldandnation/VA_faces_another_comp.shtm
>l
--
Nancy Anthracite
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