The power of technology and the ability to own some type of mobile device has become a necessity for millions of people around the globe, including the world’s poor.  FrontlineSMS is a platform software that allows non-governmental organizations (NGO) to communicate and work with those of developing countries.  It is a free and open source software that allows users to send and receive text messages with large groups of people wherever there is a mobile signal. Read More »

Stronger federal regulations over patient data protection have had no significant effect on the way 65 large health organizations manage records, according to a survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute. Read More »

Visibility of colon polyps is increased and sensitivity improved with the use of threshold-based color-coding software in virtual colonoscopy (also known as CT colonography or CTC), according to a new study from Italy. Even flat lesions were more often visible with use of the open-source 2D-based interpretation software. Read More »

There is a growing tendency for MR images to be viewed in combination with PET and/or CT in the quest for more accurate -- and therefore more useful -- diagnoses of complex diseases. While hybrid PET/MR machines have yet to reach the market, a new open-source software application offers radiologists a way to create three-way PET/CT/MR image fusion. Read More »

The Office of Management and Budget has released the open source software code behind the IT Dashboard. Read More »

The Veterans Affairs Department expects that the organization that will manage the open source community to modernize its VistA electronic health record will launch as the custodial agent in August. Read More »

A planned expansion of Office of Management and Budget "TechStat" meetings requires $60 million in congressional appropriations, Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra told a House panel March 17. Read More »

Disruptive technologies such as open-source software and collaborative social networks will have a major impact on image communication, PACS, and teleradiology, according to an article published in the June issue of the European Journal of Radiology. Read More »

A session at the recent 2011 Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (CARS) congress in Berlin addressed a question that legions of IT and developer types in medical facilities around the world have pondered themselves when they discovered their software didn't do what they needed it to do. The presenter considered it a great idea, actually, and outlined a way for interested medical researchers to try their hand at open-source software development. Read More »

Knight News Challenge winner FrontlineSMS is open-source software that tries to close the resulting information gap. The platform, which has until now focused on the communications needs of NGOs, has already found success in medicine, agriculture, and election monitoring. Now, with help from KNC’s three-year, $250,000 grant, FrontlineSMS plans to expand its focus to include journalists. Read More »