Tobias Hoevekamp has an article entitled European Union acknowledges “Open Source Software” that details both the official acknowledgement and funding of Open Source Software by the 5th Framework program. The article details ways to file applications for funding. Some of the currently funded healthcare projects can be found here.
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A major problem with open source medical software is its lack of applications for palmtops. This problem may be neutralized in the form of Linux based PDA’s such as Samsung’s Yopy and Compaq’s iPaq that have begun proliferating. eTown.com is reporting that Royal will be releasing low-cost Linux PDA’s ‘early next spring’ of 2001. Royal has competed with Palm Computing in the past with its daVinci line of PDA’s. While lower in price, a past eTown article notes that the daVinci has suffered from operating system feature shortfalls ‘…the daVinci operating system is not nearly as elegant, intuitive or sophisticated as Palm’s. Moving to Linux may change that as well as greatly accelerate software development.
HHS Misses HIPAA Final Rule Publication Deadline
Health Data Management Daily News Bulletin reports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has missed the June 30 deadline for publication of the HIPAA final transactions and code sets rule. An in-depth article on HIPAA compliance in AMA News reports the rules will require all providers, insurers and clearing houses to use national transactions formats for electronic transactions. In addition, these rules would require safeguarding patient records through encryption, need-to-know-access for employees and security oversight.
Jeanne Scott, director of government relations at NDC Health Information Services is quoted in the article as saying: “If anyone [software vendors] tells you that they are fully HIPAA compliant, you should run out of the room. They are lying through their teeth because the regulations are not final yet,”
Up-to-date information with additional resources on the the U.S. Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act (HIPAA) can be found at:
http://www.jimintriglia.com/Library/notebook/hipaa/hipaa.shtm
UPDATE: Opera 4.0b1 Released for Linux
As reported on Slashdot, the Opera web browser beta release is now available. Based on the posts to the /. page on Opera, it looks like the Opera browser is closing the gap on Netscape feature-wise, but it still can’t handle web pages with Java applets (as can’t NS). It’s reported that the Opera browser renders CSS1 web pages beautifully, something NS is terrible at. Let’s hope the folks at Opera can get a fully functional production version out by year-end.
Health IT Still Clueless About Open Source
Another Health Data Management article entitled: ‘…Is There a Final Answer?’ highlights the continued clueless meanderings of Healthcare IT in the closed-source world. ‘…A growing number of health care organizations gradually are shifting the balance of operating systems power from Unix to Microsoft Windows NT…Not only is Windows NT more cost-effective, they add, it also is becoming the dominant platform on which vendors are building new software.’ The article says that this is mostly vendor-driven. Health-IT obviously doesn’t know about the 43+ open source projects in the LinuxMedNews project list. Cost effective? Cost effective? I’m getting faint…
Netscape 6 Preview 3 Opens Favorably
Netscape has released its 3rd Preview of its long-awaited browser update. After months of waiting and scathing reviews in the recent past for its other Preview releases, this release appears to be generally well received judging by the discussion on Slashdot.org In the past, the discussion on Slashdot and other sites has been merciless in its criticism of Netscape and the open source group that writes its base: Mozilla.org. While not bug-free, this release is reassuring that the strategically important browser will fulfill its promise in the near future. Mozilla’s current roadmap calls for release in January or February of 2001. Nightly builds that are said to be steadily improving are available on Mozilla.org.
ASP’s: Internet-Based Practice Management Systems
How the Internet is Changing Practice Management Systems in the current issue of Health Data Management discusses the significant growth and interest by practice administrators and providers in web-based practice management systems. While offering some unique benefits over practice-based client/server systems, practice management systems based on the Application Service Provider (ASP) delivery model present some unique challenges all their own. Once again, the huge amounts of money being sunk into fragmented health IT software are revealed. As well as the continued belief that closed-source software is the answer as evidenced by yet another physician group that thinks they can build a better mouse trap and have invested $23 million to do it.
Ironically, I have yet to find a commercial ASP offering a live web-based demo of their practice management system. Instead, I have been treated to long text descriptions with accompanying fuzzy screenshots of systems being marketed. Some “Cutting-edge” companies believe flashy multimedia demo’s are better than offering a demo system for folks to test drive via their web site.
Yawn.
This commercial closed-source marketing practice of describing how a system will work rather than letting the user experience the system themselves is in stark contrast to how Open Source health care projects are promoted.
Many Open Source systems provide demo systems that prospective users can actually take for a “test-drive” at their convienence, 24x7x365.What a concept! Health care ASP marketing guys should take note of this ‘feature’.
For those interested in taking a web-based practice management system for a spin, check out the demo of the FreeMed practice management, and FreePM, both Open Source medical projects currently underway. There are many, many others.
Latest OIO Enables Medical Forms Over the Web
OIO answers the question: Why get stuck with a system that will not grow with your practice or project? With the latest release of the Open Infrastructure for Outcomes (0.9.3), forms created with OIO and hosted on any OIO server can be downloaded as XML files. This opens the door to the creation of
“forms” libraries, where forms can be cataloged, peer-reviewed, indexed, searched, and easily shared on the web. The first public “forms” library is now online at OIO’s main site, www.TxOutcome.Org
What is the OIO Library?
The OIO Library is more than a file download and management server.
It is an integral component of the Open Infrastructure for Outcomes (OIO) that
enables collaborative development and distribution of next generation
data management tools. The OIO Library manages the “forms”, and
the OIO Server uses the “forms” to manage data (collected from patients,
customers, etc). In flexible and scalable configurations, organizations
and individuals can implement OIO systems to serve their
particular data management needs. Ultimately, an useful library
of forms and other data reporting/analysis tools will be
available to further reduce the cost of developing and maintaining
web-based software.
Features
Completed
Pending
(i.e. item names, question prompts, itemtypes).
project or documentation page
You can run your own OIO server (version 0.9.3)
or register for a public access account at www.TxOutcome.Org.
OIO file download, mailing list, and development are hosted by sourceforge.net with the OIO project here on sourceforge.
PDAMD: ScataLog – an EPOC Anaesthetic Logbook
PDAMD presents a review article of Scatalog which is described as a freeware anaesthetic logbook for the Psion. ‘This logbook is one of the very best around today. It combines simplicity with high degrees of customisation and a powerful report
function. As freeware it will surely become very popular among trainees and consultant anaesthetists.’
Taking The Linux Plunge
So you realize that Linux in medicine might actually be viable. Perhaps you are thinking about taking the Linux plunge? Getting your feet wet up to your neck? Maybe even be a purist and start from the primordial ooze by building a Linux machine in your living room? The latest Linux Buyer’s Guide may shine the light on what hardware to purchase. They have low, mid-range and high end configurations. It is just an 11 piece jigsaw puzzle so what is stopping you? Where to shop? No problem. Secret weapon PriceWatch.com will give you a dandy price delivered to your door.