SCALE, (Southern California Linux Exposition) has recently released a call for papers for its healthcare day. Generally we are interested in seeing solid presentations of the application of Free and Open Source Software to the healthcare environment. If you are doing something innovative that the world needs to know about, this is your opportunity! Read on for more information regarding the type of topics that would be welcome!
Monthly Archives: November 2006
Medsphere’s Open Source Stance
I am Steve Shreeve, Medsphere’s founding CEO and a current member of its Board of Directors. In my capacity as a Director of the company, and as the largest individual shareholder in the company, I am compelled to respond to a recent article that was published by Medsphere’s current CEO, Kenneth W. Kizer, regarding Medsphere’s open source stance, which is available at the following link: http://www.medsphere.com/press/20061121
The public record of Medsphere’s commitment to open source is not a matter of dispute or confusion. Quite the contrary, the history and vision of the company is crystal clear.
FreeMED 0.8.1.1 Released
The FreeMED Software Foundation is proud to announce the release of version 0.8.1.1 of FreeMED. This release is a bugfix and security release before the 0.8.2 release cycle. This release is available on the FreeMED Sourceforge Download Site at the FreeMED Sourceforge Download site.
Some of the improved features and bugfixes are:
- Security: Added security RSS feed and reader for users registered at freemedsoftware.org
- Security: Fixed SecurityFocus #14088 (XML-RPC for PHP Remote Code Injection Vulnerability)
- Messages: tagging keeps the user in the correct location
- Quest HL7 Interface: handle extra screen that Quest sometimes uses
- HL7: Fix R01 to handle labid appropriately
- Sliding Fee Scale: fix working bugs
- Modules: financial_demographics and patient_information display fixes
- Labs: initial interface for viewing labs
There are a number of other changes that are in process for the 0.8.2 release cycle, but are not quite ready for consumption yet.
Collection of Kaiser EHR Troubles Links
Here’s a collection of links about Kaiser’s problems with its electronic medical record:
http://histalk.blog-city.com/
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?action=dspItem&itemID=127259&changedID=127234
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-kaiser8nov08,1,4250636.story?coll=la-headlines-business
Foundational Model of Anatomy (FMA) Ontology Released as Open Source
The Foundational Model of Anatomy (FMA) Ontology has been released under an open source license located here. From the announcement: ‘In response to the increasing demand from the life science and
biomedical informatics communities and the private industry for an anatomy ontology that can empower computer applications in biomedicine and provide a
basic science framework for the integration of biological data from different sources, the University of Washington and the FMA Ontology Research team hereby release the open source license for the Foundational Model of Anatomy (FMA) ontology and grant licensees a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, copyright license to reproduce, publicly display, publicly perform, prepare modifications of, and distribute the FMA ontology with or without modifications. For more information on the availability, terms and conditions of the license and on how to access and download the Release version of the FMA ontology please visit the FMA Ontology Research Project site at http://fma.biostr.washington.edu/license…’
SCALE Announces Plans To Host Open-Source Health Care Summit
The Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE) has announced plans to host the 2007 Open Source Health Care Summit as part of their upcoming 2007 conference, SCALE 5x.
The focus of this event will be on the use of open-source software in the health care industry. The goal of this event is to foster an awareness of the availability of open-source options to medical organizations, private practices, and hospitals. The Open-Source Health Care Summit will be held on February 9, 2007 at the Los Angeles Airport Westin Hotel.
Release of OpenClinica 2.0 – LGPL platform for clinical research
Akaza Research is pleased to announce the availability of OpenClinica 2.0, the open source clinical research software platform. OpenClinica� is an open source web-based software platform that enables sponsors and investigators to manage clinical research data in multi-site studies. It facilitates protocol configuration, design of case report forms, electronic data capture, and study/data management. OpenClinica supports HIPAA and 21 CFR Part 11 guidelines and is designed as a strictly standards-based, extensible, and modular platform. OpenClinica was initially released in October 2005 and is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). This new release includes enhancements in the areas of data capture, study design and management, usability, and security. OpenClinica is based on published standards for clinical research which facilitate interoperability and data sharing. For more, see www.OpenClinica.org.
Slashdot: Biggest IT Disaster Ever?
Slashdot has a posting that links articles that are calling the UK National Health Service $12-24 billion project the ‘Biggest IT disaster ever’ in the making: ‘…Initiated in 2002, the NPfIT is a 10-year project to build new computer systems that would connect more than 100,000 doctors, 380,000 nurses and 50,000 other health-care professionals; allow for the electronic storage and retrieval of patient medical records; permit patients to set up appointments via their computers; and let doctors electronically transmit prescriptions to local pharmacies…’
Nancy Anthracite, Will Ross Receive 2006 LMN Freedom Award
It was a split decision this year. Both Nancy Anthracite and Will Ross are recipients of the 2006 Linux Medical News Freeodm award, co-sponsored with the International Medical Informatics Association. Ross and Anthracite have worked tirelessly to advance the cause of software freedoms in medicine: Anthracite through many activities through the VistA community and Ross through his work with Mendocino County Health Records Exchange and grant funding of important FOSS development. The award was given at this years AMIA fall conference open-source working group meeting.
Third International Conference on Open Source Systems
The Third International Conference on Open Source Systems will be held in Limerick, Ireland 11-14 June 2007. The goal of the conference is intended to “provide an international forum where a diverse community of professionals from academia, industry and public administration can come together to share research findings and practical experiences. The conference is also meant to provide information and education to practitioners, identify directions for further research, and to be an ongoing platform for technology transfer.”
The conference general chair is Dr. Walt Scacchi at the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Irvine
For more information, go to:
http://oss2007.dti.unimi.it/