Those interested in the openEHR archetype approach but who have been missing a platform independent editor might like this announcement:
The LiU Archetype Editor, version 0.5.2, by the Medical Informatics group at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Link�ping University in Sweden has now been released for public download at http://www.imt.liu.se/mi/ehr/
Updated 12/16/07: one reader (below) says that this is a ‘bait and switch’. You knew it had to happen. According to this article, Practice Fusion, Inc. has announced a partnership with Google to provide no-cost electronic medical record software to physicians supported by advertising. ‘Practice Fusion is not the only company offering Internet-based medical-record systems. “We just happened to find a way to subsidize the cost of it,” said Ryan Howard, the company’s chief executive officer…’
The OpenMRS organization is announcing they they are participating in the 2007 Google Summer of Code: “Computer science students, need a summer job? Have you ever imagined that writing code could save lives? Why not apply to OpenMRS for the Google Summer of Code 2007?…” Read On for the complete announcement and how to apply.
Computer science students, need a summer job?
Have you ever imagined that writing code could save lives?
This article states: ‘Written in Java and released under the GPL, iDART (intelligent Dispensing of Antiretroviral Treatment) is a pharmacy system designed for use at antiretroviral (ARV) pharmacies in the public health sector. Initially distributed only as software, it was generally implemented on machines using Windows. Due to issues of reliability and security, Cell-Life have created iDART-in-a-box, which is a complete system running on Ubuntu Linux…’
Blue Cliff, Inc. has announced the development of a non-proprietary open source laboratory interface to VistA-Office Electronic Health record system (VOE). Blue Cliff is a Hawaii-based software consultant and development company specializing in providing installation, configuration and customization support for VistA and its derivatives.
�There was a gap in the system, and we�ve filled it,� said Blue Cliff VistA Specialist Norman Dodd. �This new interface software provides the functionality required for ordering laboratory tests thru VOE and receiving electronic and paper based results from external lab services.� The Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) capabilities of VOE are enhanced to include the range of laboratory workflow scenarios encountered in primary care settings so all orders can be completed entirely within the clinical chart.
Updated 03/06/07: VIPIS report. Live from the 1st WorldVistA Education Conference and Seminar at Robert Morris University near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This is a 3 day education event being put on by worldvista.org Highlights so far, Peter Bodke just demonstrated his VistA demonstration appliance version 1.0 that is available on Sourceforge. This has both the client and server available on a Windows machine via virtualization. This is so far not intended to be a production system but it has all the configuration details done out of the box. More information about the conference as it occurs.
It finally happened. Someone finally said it. I was attending a recent talk by a nameless major speaker in charge of a large Health IT organization. I had to get up and walk out on the speaker. I’m not normally one to get up and walk out on people in a huff, but long ago I made a contract with myself that if anyone uttered 2 fateful words again I was going to get up and walk out. Those two words are:
Cut code.
This years HIMSS conference in New Orleans is over. Here’s the conference wrap-up:
Read more for details.So this was my first HIMSS conference. I’ve attended many AMIA conferences. The major difference from the more academic-oriented AMIA is that HIMSS is a vendor shin dig with booth babes, unbelievably gaudy and enormous vendor booths, the smell of big money and major speakers like Steve Ballmer, Colin Powell, Michael Leavitt and Steven Covey.
The good news is that there is a Free and Open Source presence! The VistA Software Alliance, Medsphere had booths as well as the Tolven group giving an amazing presentation. OpenEMR has come back to life as well after several years of dormancy.
The bad news is that I attended a disappointing talk by Paul Tibbits, VA deputy CIO for enterprise development and judging by the presentation, the VA is in for a long dry spell of centralization and in my opinion is not likely to have substantial innovation for sometime.
As well, there was the big Medsphere open sourcing announcement. But the lawsuits continue, making the ability of Medsphere to lead in the future in doubt.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt’s talk indicated that CCHIT certification is being pushed hard and according to him, 55 vendors have qualified.
Colin Powell talk was great. His connection with Health IT is that he is a limited partner in revolution health which is in a space that is starting to have a surprising amount of competitors (incluing a company I’m involved in called Your Doctor Program) but with the usual fragmentation and lack of consensus.
All in all, it was great to see a FOSS presence at an overwhelmingly and historically proprietary show. Freedom appears to be on the march.