openEMR

In researching many open source health IT systems, one of the apparent drawbacks appears to be the lack of development in the visual aesthetics of the systems offered. Also, there are many small software modules in open source, but there does not appear to be a more dominant comprehensive software package suite like Microsoft or GE offers as proprietary health systems.

However, recently I was able to briefly look at the "openERP" system suite. It has modules, such as openEMR, that all offer the same user interface and continuity in design. Simply looking at the screen shots demonstrates that this open source software is more robust and developed than others. The user interface is extremely appealing and easy-to-use, which is key for health providers adopting health systems. It is clear that many health providers will end up choosing a proprietary health system simply because they like the look and "feel" of the system. More money is invested into proprietary health systems, making them more aesthetically pleasing. However, openERP and its complimentary modules offer an alternative for FREE that is just or more aesthetically pleasing than some proprietary software.

Another appeal to this openERP/openEMR system is the variety of organizations and individuals that can benefit and utilize the system. Not only will large health care providers be impressed by such a system, but smaller clinics with smaller budgets can also utilize the same system. Developing countries, therefore, are not excluded in the push to adopt health information systems. They can easily access and implement this software package.

List of Open Source Health Software Providers

Here is an excellence listing of many open source health software providers. It is posted as a page within wikipedia.org and breaks it down by specialty of software offering.

List of Open Source Health Software Providers

Open Healthcare Group

Doing a simple "Google" search, returned the Open Healthcare Group. Although the site is not as developed as many proprietary software provider sites, it provides the basic EMR software for free. It also touches on the purpose of an open source health software too. It believes that open source software will truly start to connect people all over as opposed to the proprietary systems. The proprietary systems seem to develop "secretes" and "hide data" from others because of operability issues but also simply because of the closed atmosphere such a system creates.

University Role in Health IT

It is interesting to see the role that universities are playing in the health IT system sphere. Stanford is an example of a university promoting the health of its community but also extending beyond that to help individuals around the world. Here is a link of Standford's WellSphere. It incorporates much of the focus that Google has on the individual and empowering the individual with their health.

Many universities are promoting much of the same idea of empowering the individual. Is this a trend that universities will follow? Will the open source community move towards helping the individual and university setting while proprietary systems will appeal to large, profit driven health organizations?

Resources

Here are two great health IT resources.

1. Health Affair: the Policy Journal of the Health Sphere
2. The Health Care Blog

Comparison of Proprietary Systems

GE (http://www.gehealthcare.com/usen/index.html) has an extremely developed offering basis for health care IT software systems. They focus more on the organization as opposed to the individual. Siemens, Epics Systems, Cerner, and IBM are all similar in who they target their products to.

Microsoft and Google, however, tailor to the individual. Google is a pioneer in providing the individual with the power to control their health and records. Microsoft is following this direction while at the same time tailoring another portion of its offerings to the health care providers as well. Microsoft Vault is one of the only truly all encompassing offerings yet found.

What will it take for health care providers to adopt new health IT systems? Will it only come with government enforcement? If so, then how will the health care providers be able to afford it? Will this cause the smaller providers to move towards open source health IT systems and the larger organizations to choose the proprietary systems?

It appears to be the trend that has occurred. Those that can afford the costly proprietary systems will purchase them. However, those that cannot afford such an investment are looking towards open source health IT systems.

Under the American Revitalization and Recovery Act (2009), there are monetary incentives in place now for health care providers to begin to adopt health IT systems. Within this act, there is an additional provision that focuses solely on the aspect of open source health IT systems. This provision allows for research to be conducted over the next year to be presented in 2010 about its validity, effectiveness, security, durability, etc. in comparison to the proprietary health IT systems.

I hope to bring to light these differences in open source vs. proprietary systems that this study seeks to unveil.

Proprietary Health IT Systems:

• Google Health: www.google.com/health
  
• IMB Healthcare: http://www-03.ibm.com/industries/healthcare/us/list/solution/all/index.html
  
• Microsoft Health: www.healthvault.com
• Epic Systems: http://www.epicsystems.com/
  
• Cerner Corporation: http://www.cerner.com/public/
  
• Siemens Healthcare: https://www.smed.com/default.asp
  

List of 100 Most "Wired" Health Systems:

http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HHNMAG/Article/data/07JUL2007/0707HHN_CoverStory_07Winners&domain=HHNMAG

Here are two sites that I have found to be informative, especially with regards to open source software for public health use.

http://www.intrahealth.org/informatics/get-involved/

http://www.ibiblio.org/pjones/wiki/index.php/Open_Source_Software_for_Public_Health

Welcome

This blog will serve the purpose for centralizing information on health IT systems. More specifically, I would like to illustrate the benefits and costs of open source health IT systems vs. proprietary health IT systems. Please contribute any information that would be pertinent to the research.