News

Summaries of open source, health care, or health IT news and information from various sources on the web selected by Open Health News (OHNews) staff. Links are provided to the original news or information source, e.g. news article, web site, journal,blog, video, etc.

See the following -

Why We’re Still Chasing ‘Silicon Savannah’ Dream

Frankline Sunday | Standard Digital | March 25, 2014

Software developers in Kenya are losing lucrative opportunities for funding because they lack clear business plans and strategies to take their ideas to market, new data shows. Read More »

Why You Might Want To Swap Out Your Low-Fat Diet For A Mediterranean One

Staff Writer | Huffington Post | February 8, 2014

When it comes to maintaining a healthy heart, eating more in line with a Mediterranean diet may do you more good than a strictly low-fat one, according to a new review of studies. Read More »

Why You Need Open Source For Health Exchange Success

Tim Yeaton | Wired | December 10, 2012

But whether the states build their own or rely on the federal government to create a HIX, time is in short supply.  By October 1, 2013, Exchanges must be ready for constituents to select health plans that will begin coverage January 1, 2014.  The pressure is on, and the question is: How can states build these Exchanges in time and without overspending? The answer is open source software (OSS) and open source-style collaborative development.
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Why You Should Document Your Open Source Hardware Project

Simone Cicero | Open Electronics | May 28, 2013

It’s just few months that I’m strongly involved in the open source hardware movement and, despite I still not have a clear idea of how this community is composed. Read More »

Why You Should Support The SHIELD Act

Simon Phipps | InfoWorld | March 8, 2013

Shocker! All sides of the debate agree the SHIELD Act offers part of the reform needed for U.S. patent system Read More »

Why Your Health Insurance Data Should Be Liberated

David Vivero | Forbes | July 6, 2016

In a world where you can access nearly all human knowledge from a device in your pocket, it’s absurd that you still can’t find out how much having a baby will cost you. But it’s not surprising. “Health data” is such a hot topic these days that you’d think it was a recent invention, and in many cases you’d be right. Apple AAPL +1.97%’s HealthKit and other trackers passively gather exabytes of our health data as we move around. Saliva samples let us explore genetic conditions. A handful of companies can discover the bugs living inside our guts...

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Why Your Metadata Is Your Every Move

Elspeth Reeve | The Atlantic Wire | June 12, 2013

The metadata that the National Security Agency collects on all calls in the U.S. is not just what's on a phone bill, as the program's supporters have claimed. Read More »

Why Your Organization Can’t Afford To Skimp On Interoperability Anymore

Lisa Khorey | Becker's Health IT & CIO Review | August 3, 2015

Interoperability is a key enabler for providers and payers to deliver on the promise of health care reform. Despite increased adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs), only a fraction of providers can demonstrate the routine ability to exchange data efficiently, prompting public criticism of the application software vendors as a barrier to achieving interoperability objectives. Recognizing that interoperability is essential, the Office of the National Coordinator released an interoperability road map intended to drive the market toward a common data set for easier data exchange.

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Wide-Angle Lens – Thoughts On What Ushahidi Has To Do With International Development

Nat Manning | Ushahidi | September 25, 2013

In light of all that is going on in Nairobi, I took a step back and started thinking about what it is we do here at Ushahidi, beyond the products, the code, and the community. We often get lumped into this greater industry of International Development, even though we talk about ourselves as a non-profit tech company. So I decided to try and dive a bit deeper, and try and suss out just how Ushahidi fits into this broader discussion of International Development. Read More »

WikiLeaks Publication of Complete, Final TPP Intellectual Property Text Confirms Pact Would Raise Costs, Put Medicines Out of Reach

Press Release | Public Citizen | October 9, 2015

WikiLeaks’ publication today of the final Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Intellectual Property chapter text verifies that the pact would harm public health by blocking patient access to lifesaving medicines, Public Citizen said today. The latest leak of a secret TPP text reveals how the TPP would roll back the “May 10 Agreement” reforms brokered in 2007 between Democratic congressional leaders and the George W. Bush administration. It also reveals the contentious “death sentence” clause on biologics, or biotech drugs, which roiled TPP talks in Maui and Atlanta.

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WikiLeaks Releases Details Of 'One Of The Worst Global Threats To The Internet'

Kevin Collier | The Daily Dot | November 13, 2013

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a highly secretive trade agreement that Internet advocates call "one of the worst global threats to the Internet," got a little less secret Wednesday. Read More »

Wikipedia Co-founder Coming to Tech@State

David Stegon | FedScoop | June 14, 2012

The next Tech@State event, scheduled for July 12-13 at George Washington University, will feature a talk from Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales.

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Wikipedia Editor Allegedly Forced By French Intelligence To Delete “Classified” Entry

Megan Geuss | Ars Technica | April 6, 2013

A military compound becomes a lesson in obscurity on the Internet. Read More »

Wikipedia Founder to Help in [UK] Government's Research Scheme

Alok Jha | The Guardian | May 1, 2012

The [UK] government has drafted in the Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales to help make all taxpayer-funded academic research in Britain available online to anyone who wants to read or use it. The initiative, which has the backing of No 10 and should be up and running in two years, will be announced by the universities and science minister, David Willetts, in a speech to the Publishers Association on Wednesday.
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Wikipedia Is A Massively Popular (Yet Untested) Doctor

Clara Ritger | Nextgov | February 21, 2014

Wikipedia says that fewer than 1 percent of its medical articles have been peer-reviewed, but that doesn't stop the pages from grabbing more than 180 million views per month. Read More »