Thank you for that information, Joseph. Can you provide us with any more specific info on the meeting in Pittsburgh this June?
As an aside, I went over a recent 65-page report on the "eHealth Initiative" of the American Health Quality Foundation (www.ahqf.org), which receives some funding from AHRQ (www.ahrq.gov), and not one reference to open source. I'll see what they have to say at the HIT Symposium in Boston in July. --- Joseph Dal Molin <dalmolin at e-cology.ca> wrote: > Hi Bruce, > > > Does anyone have a idea of where open source is > going > > in the U.S. Health and Human Services efforts to > > promote universal ehr in the U.S.? I know there > has > > been (not surprisingly) some resistance from the > > proprietary vendors, to early efforts to promote > an > > open source model. > > I am WorldVistA's program manager for the HHS/CMS > funded VistA-Office > EHR effort and can tell you that the project is > going full steam ahead. > We have just entered the Beta field test phase and > in parallel will be > working on certifying VOE to meet the ONCHIT EHR > certification > standards. CMS has completely bought into the open > source model of user > driven, collaborative improvement and has decided > that WorldVistA will > become the open source "steward" for VistA Office. > Concrete progress has > been made in implementing the open source approach > as we are about to > integrate several community developed enhancements > in VOE. We will > also be sending code to the VA for inclusion in FOIA > VistA to address > requiements in the VA and achieves one of > WorldVistA's long standing > goals of establishing two way code sharing with the > VA. Perhaps the most > important element of our collaboration with the VA > is synchronizing with > their "patch stream" approach to fixing bugs and > improving VistA. Last > but not least, over the next few weeks we will be > porting VOE to Linux > as we have FOIA VistA, to make a full open source > version avaialble for > the server side. > > Will be glad to answer any other questions off > list....unfortunately we > will not be able to send anyone to the GSA > meeting...but, > coincidentally are organizing the next VistA > Community meeting for late > June at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, > PA.... that would also > be a good opportunity to expose folks from PMS to > the open source model > and VOE? > > Cheers, > > Joseph > > .... > Joseph Dal Molin > VP, Businsess Development, WorldVistA > www.worldvista.org > 1.416.232.1206 > > Bruce Wilder wrote: > > A few months ago, I posted a proposed resolution > and > > asked for comments, and many of you kindly > reponded. > > When this came up for debate on the floor of the > > Pennsylvania Medical Society House of Delegates, > here > > was an unsuccessful movement to remove all the > > references to open source, but it was adopted > without > > amendment, but only for referral for decision by > the > > Board of Trustees. It was not adopted by the > House of > > Delegates (except for referral), primarily because > > most of the Delegates did not really have an > > understanding of what open source is. What > follows is > > what was officially adopted for referral for > decision > > by the Board. > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > RESOLUTION 05-404: ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS (EHR) > > > > Resolved, That the Pennsylvania Medical Society > > support law and public policy that promotes [sic] > the > > implementation of open source, cross-platform > > interoperability standards; and be it further > > > > Resolved, That the Pennsylvania Medical Society > > promote the availability of open source Electronic > > Health Records (EHR) applications that meet the > > requirements and goals of the Administration, to > both > > institutional providers and individual > practitioners; > > and be it further > > > > Resolved, That the Pennsylvania Medical Society > > promote the development of EHR applications that > are > > compatible with an open source operating > environment > > or environments; and be it further > > > > Resolved, That the Pennsylvania Medical Society > > promote the development of EHR applications and > > standards of interoperability that permit the > maximum > > protection of personal health information that is > > technically achievable, ABOVE AND BEYOND the > > requirements of the HIPAA of 1996. > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > Does anyone have a idea of where open source is > going > > in the U.S. Health and Human Services efforts to > > promote universal ehr in the U.S.? I know there > has > > been (not surprisingly) some resistance from the > > proprietary vendors, to early efforts to promote > an > > open source model. > > > Bruce L. Wilder, MD MPH JD Interprofessional Systems, Ltd. 436 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1050 Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1826 Tel 412.683.6015 Toll-Free 866.594.6015 Fax 412.683.6430 Changing Health Care for the 21st Century
