Latest News
Health eGames & Mobile Health Apps: The New Consumer Interface
We are seeing the emergence of Health eGames and Mobile Health Apps as part of the innovative fifth generation of multi-media computer interfaces for consumers that can be used to obtain information and interact with Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Personal Health Record (PHR) systems. Examples of the many multi-media eGames for health that are emerging can be found at Gaming4Health. In turn, a list of some of the many new, easy- to-use mobile Health Apps designed for smartphones and other mobile devices can be found on the COSI Open Health web site. Read More »
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"Social Health" Is Not About Socialized Medicine
"Social networking" websites like Facebook are now being used regularly by hundreds of millions of people around the world to connect with each other. "Social commerce" web sites like Groupon have now emerged connecting consumers with local stores and national supply chains. What's next? Look for next generation "social health" information web sites. Read More »
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NCI Asks for Help with Open Source Development Model
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has released a formal RFI (Request for Information) asking for help in the drafting of an open source development model for the software NCI has developed under their Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG) project. Although the request is very similar to the VA's "Custodial Agent" effort, it is significantly different in that the caBIG initiative has been in operation since 2003 and more than 70 open source tools have been already developed and enhanced through the program.
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Redwood MedNet Hosts HIE Conference
Redwood MedNet, one of the pioneers in open source Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) is hosting their annual conference in Santa Rosa, California July 14 and 15. This is the fifth annual conference hosted by the non-profit organization. Redwood MedNet was established in 2005 by health care providers at hospitals, private practices, community clinics and public health in Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma Counties, California.
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Pfizer Launches Collaborative Virtual Clinical Trial
Pfizer is borrowing a page from open source collaborative projects and has launched an innovative approach to clinical trials as reported in the Wall Street Journal. Pfizer has adopted a series of tools and technologies that have enabled it to start an all-electronic, home-based clinical trial. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given approval to the remotely monitored trial, the first one ever. Pfizer recruited the participants through ads in the Internet and is monitoring the trial using smartphone and computer-based telemedicine tools.
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Open Source Helps Spokane Data Exchange Pilot Go Live In Record Time
The use of open source software made it possible to deploy the fourth data exchange pilot between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Defense (DoD), and private sector medical facilities in record time. The Spokane Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) went live less than eight weeks after the start of the project. The VLER is intended to provide seamless access to the medical record of veterans and military personnel irregardless of where they receive medical treatment. Read More »
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Seven Open Source EHRs Certified To Date
The open source community is in a roll when it comes to official certification for open source EHR's. With the announcement today that WorldVistA EHR has been certified for "meaningful use" as an inpatient EHR, there are now a total of six seven certified EHRs in either the ambulatory or the inpatient categories. Some of the open source EHR's have been certified in both categories.
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WorldVistA EHR Receives Meaningful Use Certification
The open source WorldVistA EHR has just received full meaningful use certification as an electronic health record (EHR) in inpatient settings. The detailed certification criteria can be seen here. WorldVistA EHR is a community-supported version of the VA's world-class VistA EHR. Read More »
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VA Begins Implementation of Open Source EHR
VA recently announced that we’ve taken a big step in the implementation of the open source software model for VistA: the selection of The Informatics Application Group (tiag), an innovative technology services company, to design and launch the Custodial Agent. Over the next several months, we will be working closely with tiag and their partners to create a Custodial Agent to provide structure for the community. One of the primary functions of the CA is to take care of the EHR: to make sure that it is freely available (like it is today), that new components are compatible with the existing software, and that the open source software licenses promote innovation and access. To accomplish this, the CA will maintain a code repository that contains all of the software–the code VA uses as well as new components we may consider–and, importantly, is universally accessible.
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VistA to be deployed in North Carolina
Major news for the VistA software community. After many years of research and preparation, the State of North Carolina will start an initial implementation of VistA in one of its behavioral health facilities. The initial deployment will take place at Central Regional Hospital (CRH), a state psychiatric hospital located in Butner. Read More »
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