AMIA Open Source Working Group Offers White Paper Examining Benefits of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in Healthcare 1.0
Bethesda, MD, December 4, 2008 – The AMIA Open Source Working Group today released a white paper: Free and Open Source Software in Healthcare 1.0 which examines Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and its unique properties that can solve multiple difficult problems of HIT. The paper defines pertinent terminology, references important works in the field and has data on the number of current deployments and patients that use Free and Open Source Software systems such as Webreach, ClearHealth, and Veterans Affairs VistA-based systems in both the public and private sectors.
“Even the most skeptical interpretation of the numbers presented on Free and Open Source deployments and patients shows that these systems are being used in sizable numbers,” said Ignacio Valdes, MD, MSc the primary author of the paper and chair of the AMIA Open Source Working Group. He continues, “This paper is for practitioners, CIO's, IT staff, and policymakers making difficult health IT decisions with valid concerns about cost, ethics, interoperability, patient privacy, security and the future of their organizations in the hands of proprietary software.
This white paper should be a must-read for every organization that uses or is contemplating the use of Electronic Medical Records.” Download a free copy of this white paper (pdf) at: http://www.amia.org/files/Final-OS-WG%20White%20Paper_11_19_08.pdf or call AMIA at: 301-657-1291.
Inquiries and feedback are welcome and may be sent by e-mail to Working Group Chair, Ignacio Valdes at: ivaldes@hal-pc.org
About AMIA
AMIA is the professional home for biomedical and health informatics. AMIA is dedicated to promoting the effective organization, analysis,
management, and use of information in health care in support of patient care, public health, teaching, research, administration, and related
policy. AMIA’s 4,000 members advance the use of health information and communications technology in clinical care and clinical research,
personal health management, public health/population, and translational science with the ultimate objective of improving health. Complete
information about AMIA is available at: www.amia.org.
About The Open Source Working Group (OS-WG)
The mission of the OS-WG is to act as the primary conduit between the broader open source community and AMIA. To provide information
regarding open source benefits and pitfalls to other AMIA working groups, identify useful open source projects, assist with project
community building, and to identify funding sources and provide grant application support to open source projects. Visit the Open Source
Working Group site at: www.amia.org/os-wg
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 4, 2008 Media Contact: Tia Abner, 301-657-1291, tia@amia.org