Open Source Software a Booster Shot for Health Care? | OStatic
InformationWeek details the conception of House Resolution 6898. The bill’s name is more cryptic than the shorthand on a prescription order, but could bolster both the US Health Care system, and perceptions of open source in both public and private sectors.
The Health-e Information Technology Act of 2008 offers incentives for health care providers to move to an open, shared platform for health records.
California Representative Pete Stark introduced the bill on September 15th. The particularly intriguing thing is that it isn’t just the records that Rep. Stark is proposing be in an open, exchangeable format. He is proposing that the health information technology system itself be open source, whether it is newly created, or based on an existing open source health record system. The bill mentions VistA, the health record system used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as a possible starting place for open source development. And indeed, the efforts in this area were started prior to the bill proposal. Medsphere has its OpenVista software and a number of specific modules developed for different health care settings.
Open Source Software a Booster Shot for Health Care? | OStatic.