The Vista name for Microsoft’s next-generation operating system has drawn the ire of groups supporting Veterans Administration software.
Two groups that promote the use of the VA’s VistA software in hospitals and other healthcare fields have proclaimed they are unamused by Redmond’s borrowing of their name.
Those groups, the VistA Software Alliance and WorldVista, have been influential in getting more medical professionals to implement the VistA software in their businesses.
“The confusion created by Microsoft and its choice of the word ‘Vista’ is an affront to the people who take care of our nation’s veterans,” said Barbara Boykin, Chairman of the VistA Software Alliance, said in a press release.
“The timing of Microsoft’s announcement is most unfortunate,” said Maury Pepper, Chairman of WorldVistA, in the same release. “Our healthcare system has long been in need of a truly affordable electronic medical record, and just as one becomes available, Microsoft has created a huge distraction.”
Microsoft has been accused of a lot of things: anticompetitive practices, employee poaching, and turning open standards into closed solutions. But abusing veterans and the healthcare system doesn’t seem like something Microsoft would do by intent.
That’s not to say the Vista name was Microsoft’s wisest choice for the product. The privately held company has had the name for over five years and may be inclined to complain on a trademark basis.
The two non-profit groups fear a Microsoft lawsuit against businesses that use the VistA software would hinder its adoption in the medical community. At least one study contends high-tech hospitals offer improved care for patients, and interfering with more adoption of electronic medical recordkeeping will keep that number from increasing.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
