Document Storage Systems, Inc. (DSS), the leading provider of VistA-based software development and support, today announced that the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) has selected its electronic health record, vxVistA, as part of the state’s Electronic Public Health Information (EPI) initiative to adopt a statewide EHR, replace selected functionality of the current Patient Tracking Billing Management Information System (PTBMIS) and facilitate interoperability with TDH public health delivery systems. By adopting vxVistA, the state agency will be able to reduce its dependence on paper patient charts and create a central repository of patient health information to be leveraged for population health reporting and tracking.

Under the EPI initiative, TDH recognized a need for a statewide EHR that includes a single record for each patient and interoperability capabilities in order to facilitate information exchange and ultimately, improve patient outcomes in a value-based care environment. Additionally, TDH required open-source software rooted in the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) that would allow the EHR to extend well beyond its historical use in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

TDH awarded DSS, through the competitive procurement process, as its EHR provider under the EPI initiative. With vxVistA in place, TDH and its providers will be able to:

• Mitigate risk associated with medication and prescribing errors;
• Share patient information with the PTBMIS, the state lab and immunization registry as well as other lab providers; and
• Leverage longitudinal patient records for targeted patient monitoring and reporting to achieve population health management goals.

“We recognize the importance of establishing statewide EHRs for improved care delivery across an entire state population, and we’re pleased to work with the Tennessee Department of Health to make this a reality,” said Mark Byers, CEO and president of DSS. “Our deep experience with EHR integration will enable this initiative to provide the support Tennessee public health clinics need as they strive to create safe, secure and efficient environments for their staff and patients.”

The EPI EHR initiative will have a phased implementation across Tennessee and is planned to be completed by March 31, 2016. Through its partnership with DSS, TDH can also leverage the company’s vxMHS module if the initiative expands with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

About Document Storage Systems, Inc. (DSS, Inc.)

DSS is a leading health information technology (HIT) software development and systems integration company. For more than 20 years, healthcare organizations have benefited from our technical and service integration expertise. DSS has extensive experience working with federal, private and public healthcare facilities to modernize their legacy systems and to improve efficiencies for clinical and administrative users. DSS is a member of the Open Source Electronic Health Record Agent (OSEHRA) organization and released its own open source EHR in 2009, vxVistA, which takes the most reliable and widely used open source EHR in the country to a new level to meet the needs of hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and physician practices. To further foster the adoption of open source in healthcare organizations, DSS is a founder and supporter of a community-driven, collaboration environment website, The VistA Extension Hub (www.ThevxHub.org), which acts as a forum for discussion and best practices among VistA users. For more information about DSS, visit www.dssinc.com.