Difference between revisions of "DSS Inc."

Revision as of 22:58, 16 January 2011

About DSS, Inc

DSS, Inc., also known as the Vista Experts, is the leading provider of Project Management, Integration, Installation, Training, Technical Support and Development for VistA. In 1996, the Chief Information Office introduced VistA, which is the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture. The core competency is VistA EHR integration. It is a rich, automated environment that supports day-to-day operations at local Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facilities.

VistA is built on a client-server architecture, which ties together workstations and personal computers with graphical user interfaces at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities, as well as software developed by local medical facility staff. VistA also includes the links that allow commercial off-the-shelf software and products to be used with existing and future technologies. The Decision Support System (DSS) and other national databases that might be derived from locally generated data lie outside the scope of VistA.

When development began on the Decentralized Hospital Computer Program (DHCP) in the early 1980s, information systems were in their infancy in VA medical facilities and emphasized primarily hospital-based activities. DHCP grew rapidly and is used by many private and public health care facilities throughout the United States and the world. Although DHCP represented the total automation activity at most VA medical centers in 1985, DHCP is now only one part of the overall information resources at the local facility level. VistA incorporates all of the benefits of DHCP as well as including the rich array of other information resources that are becoming vital to the day-to-day operations at VA medical facilities. It represents the culmination of DHCP's evolution and metamorphosis into a new, open system, client-server based environment that takes full advantage of commercial solutions, including those provided by Internet technologies. DSS, Inc. specializes in developing VistA EHR integrated Electronic Medical Record and Administrative programs, as well as, co-developing VistA EHR interfaces with Commercial Software (COTS) Vendors. DSS, Inc. has been developing exclusively for the VHA for over 14 years and has in excess of 800 VistA integrated installations. Services include Software Consultation, Development, Project Management, Integration, Sales & Marketing, Installation, Training, and Technical Support geared to VistA.

Mental Health

Clinical Note Templates DSS Clinical Note Templates™ (CNT’s) automate the entire process of producing an accurate, consistent and compliant Progress Note.

DSS Mental Health Treatment Planner™ Create, edit, and view treatment plans for an individual patient-Quickly and Efficiently. Multi/Intra-Disciplinary Collaboration tool. Case management referral to other service providers. User-definable format with a simple “point and click” interface. Enhance JCAHO compliance. Provides a continuous flow of documentation. MHTP audit reporting module for information in care plan.

Future of DSS

On August 2010, DDS presented it’s HomeBased (HB) Mobile at the VHA eHealth University 2010 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The presentation focused on the features, benefits, and future enhancements of integrated mobile EHR solution for Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) providers. Through the use of HB Mobile, patient information can be transferred directly from VistA/CPRS and securely stored on a tablet PC—allowing HBPC users quick access to critical information while on site at a patient’s home. The system also allows the clinician to capture various health items using structured templates and free form text notes. This modern handheld system was specifically tailored to meet the needs of HBPC providers, giving them the ability to easily access and input significant data that synchronizes quickly with their VAMC,” said Mark Byers, President and CEO of DSS. “HB Mobile helps to streamline healthcare workflow, eliminate unsecure paper notes and improve patient safety. Other presenters included Julie Yost, Product Line Manager and Certified Scrum Product Owner for DSS with more than seven years of experience in development, implementation, customization and configuration of software, and James Trompeter, Strategic Accounts Manager for DSS with more than 27 years of IT experience in application development and project management. As part of the presentation, the successes from the pilot implementation and use of HB Mobile at the VA Southeast Network, VISN 7, which includes the Birmingham, Augusta, Atlanta and Tuscaloosa VAMC locations, were highlighted. The discussion detailed the benefits and features of the system as well as future enhancements such as the ability to create laboratory, radiology and medication orders.

On November 10, 2010, DSS, Inc. announced a national contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the use of DSS’ Mental Health Suite (MHS) product. Through this agreement, the integrated mental health EHR module will be implemented across all 153 VA Medical Centers. For more than 10 years, the VA has utilized a sophisticated electronic charting tool to address its administrative and clinical processes — the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) which is integrated with VistA, their enterprise EHR. The DSS Mental Health Suite is designed to help streamline processes to accommodate the distinctive needs of the mental and behavioral health sectors. Such needs include an interdisciplinary approach to monitoring therapeutic benefits and adverse effects of care. Our Mental Health Suite is a fully integrated, customized intake and treatment planning system that operates seamlessly with CPRS/VistA, and offers enhanced patient care as well as improved workflow management and efficiencies, said Mark Byers, President and CEO of DSS. We’re extremely pleased with the success of the system thus far within VA Medical Centers nationwide and are dedicated to ensuring its success within the remaining organizations. More than 50 VA Medical Centers implemented the suite already with successful results, which lead to the VA’s decision to install MHS in all VA Medical Centers. The Mental Health Suite contract is for one year with a four-year option contract. The DSS Mental Health Suite is a module designed to optimize patient care by guiding practitioners across disciplines in treatment planning and intake documentation specific to mental health settings, making records more accessible and narratives more legible. The system provides detailed reporting to support users in meeting their Joint Commission and CARF requirements. It can be used to track patient progress over time, allowing the VA Medical Centers to monitor evidenced-based psychotherapies, interdisciplinary treatment plans and more.

References

1. DSS Inc http://www.dssinc.com/

2. Businesswire.com http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100809006420/en/DSS-Present-HomeBased-Mobile-VeHU-2010