OpenVista Live in American Samoa’s LBJ Tropical Medical Center

American Samoa is an unincorporated U.S. territory in the South Pacific comprising five main islands and two coral atolls. This geographic separation and modest economic opportunities create significant public health challenges that local officials and clinicians expect to manage with the assistance of broadly implemented health IT, targeted policy changes and effective public service campaigns.

“Congratulations to the people of American Samoa on this significant step toward better healthcare and improved population health,” said Irv Lichtenwald, Medsphere president and CEO. “Every time I speak with leadership at LBJ and the Department of Health, they talk about this overarching goal of improving standards of care for their people. We applaud these efforts to connect healthcare facilities and track health indicators throughout the islands. OpenVista is a great tool for this scenario and for the goals American Samoa leadership expects to achieve.”

Through OpenVista Population Health, LBJ and the DOH can now track and evaluate data from all over the territory. Officials can generate reports on overall community health, look for trends in specific areas and villages, provide information to public health registries and more easily remain vigilant in the fight against rheumatic heart disease, a particular local challenge. OpenVista Population Health was implemented along with a full clinical package; necessary interfaces; OpenVista Insight registration, scheduling and billing modules; and SQL tools for financial reporting.

As an unincorporated U.S. territory, American Samoa is eligible for Meaningful Use funds and is in the midst of qualifying for Stage 1. Local leaders expect to cover most, if not all, of the costs of OpenVista through Meaningful Use.

About LBJ Tropical Medical Center

Opened in 1968, the Lyndon B. Johnson Tropical Medical Center (LBJ) is a regional acute care facility licensed for 150 beds and located on the island of Tutuila, the main island of the American Samoa group; it serves the entire population of Tutuila, Aunu’u and the Manu’a Islands. LBJ offers a full-range of primary care clinic services and some subspecialty services to the population of American Samoa.

About Medsphere and OpenVista

Founded in 2002 and based in Carlsbad, Calif., Medsphere Systems Corporation is an award-winning organization of clinical and technology professionals working to make quality health IT solutions accessible to organizations of virtually any size, shape or budget. Medsphere’s OpenVista is a portfolio of clinical products and services that leverages an electronic health record (EHR) system developed by the Indian Health Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VistA EHR is widely credited with helping transform the VA into the nation’s most efficient and clinically effective healthcare organization. OpenVista, the most fully commercialized VistA offspring, is a responsible reapplication of the VA’s $8.5 billion investment, which recent studies show have yielded billions in benefits, primarily from the near elimination of medication administration issues and duplicate testing.

Medsphere’s subscription-based pricing model enables hospital systems and integrated delivery network customers to pay for OpenVista from their operating budget with no upfront costs or back-end balloon payments. Expert implementation and other services facilitate rapid transition to a paperless clinical environment based on best practices and evidence-based medicine in six to nine months. Medsphere also actively nurtures the OpenVista Ecosystem, a global community of customers, partners, and other collaborators who drive innovation to the benefit of all.

Learn more about Medsphere at www.medsphere.com.