April 13th, 2009
Open source gets hearing but no action at HIMSS
Open source health software advocate Fred Trotter writes that, while he was ready to “go nuclear” when meeting the CCHIT folks at last week’s HIMSS show, he instead got a fair hearing.
CCHIT offers a recording of the meeting on its Web site.
By week’s end Trotter was calm enough to explain the problem in simple terms.
- Before it certifies software CCHIT wants to know who “owns” it and thus takes responsibility. The problem is that open source companies like ClearHealth don’t have full control of their code. Projects can be forked, then re-certified for one-tenth the cost. Or not certified.
- CCHIT certification requires CPT codes, which are proprietary to the AMA. This makes it impossible to create a fully open source EMR system.
The current CCHIT process is designed for use by proprietary vendors, and allows copyright holders to put a chokehold on the marketplace, Trotter concludes.
The fact that CCHIT heard out open source respectfully is good. But at this point it can easily dismiss open source concerns by just punting them down the road, past the delivery of the Obama stimulus money.
Dana Blankenhorn has been a business journalist since 1978, and has covered technology since 1982. He launched the Interactive Age Daily, the first daily coverage of the Internet to launch with a magazine, in September 1994. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
Subscribe to ZDNet Healthcare via Email alerts or RSS.
