Avaya Aids Study to Evolve Veteran’s Affairs Healthcare Information Technology System

FAIRFAX, VA–(Marketwire – June 29, 2010) –  Avaya Government Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Avaya, today announced the company’s participation in the recently-released study to modernize the healthcare system used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (V.A.). The V.A. relies heavily on this system to ensure America’s Veterans receive the treatment they require. Called the “VistA Modernization Report – Legacy to Leadership,” it is focused on improving the V.A.’s VistA (V.A. Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) healthcare network.

The V.A. has seen an uptake in the demands of its healthcare system; which must serve nearly eight million veterans, 153 V.A. hospitals and 768 outpatient clinics. VistA is the integrated health information system — recognized as one of the best in the nation — that supports the V.A. in its work.

“The V.A. relies on the best doctors and medical technology,” said Joel Hackney, president, Avaya Government Solutions. “We are honored to be chosen to contribute to the success of this study and help the V.A. make its next-generation, information network the best available. We support the work of the VistA study participants and thank them for their unique contributions in helping define the next-generation Healthcare IT vision.”

“Providing for those who have served this great nation is more than our mandate, it is our passion,” said the Honorable Roger Baker, assistant secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer, Veterans Affairs. “The VistA study provides critical insight from the leaders in industry as to how we can do this better, more effectively and more comprehensively. This is planned to enable us to employ our resources with laser precision, eliminating waste in terms of time to service and completely eliminating every unused or underused resource.”

Included in the recommendations of the VistA study is the need to migrate the design of the information system of the Veterans Affairs to an open, plug-and-play architecture so that the most modern and “built for purpose” components that enhance functionality can be incorporated. In addition, by moving to an open-standards approach, the VistA system can utilize the best technology from standards-compliant vendors as well as other open source communities that will provide the best, most innovative products in the future.

The VistA study was spearheaded by the American Council for Technology (ACT) – Industry Advisory Council (IAC), which promotes government and industry collaboration. It was managed by the V.A. and Andy Robinson, IAC executive vice chair, for the IAC Executive Committee. Ed Meagher, chair of the IAC VistA Modernization Working Group, led the working group of healthcare and IT professionals from 34 companies for the six-month study, which included co-chair of the VistA Modernization & Architecture subcommittee, Srinath Godavarthi, technical director, Avaya Government Solutions.

Enterprise network modernization is critical for all healthcare entities. HIPPA compliance has mandated that all such systems be ultra-secure in their totality with no margin for error. Avaya is focused on serving the needs of both the Civil Government and Federal Government as well as the Healthcare industry.

About Avaya Government Solutions
Avaya Government Solutions is a network-centric integrator, providing the services expertise, mission-critical systems and secure communications that empower government to ensure the security, livelihood, and well being of its citizens. Headquartered in Fairfax, Va., Avaya Government Solutions offers a one-stop shop for solutions designed to improve workforce productivity, reduce operating costs, and streamline inter-agency communications. Please visit www.Avayagov.com for more information.

About Avaya
Avaya is a global leader in enterprise communications systems. The company provides unified communications, contact centers, data solutions, and related services directly and through its channel partners to leading businesses and organizations around the world. Enterprises of all sizes depend on Avaya for state-of-the-art communications that improve efficiency, collaboration, customer service and competitiveness. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.