US Hospital moving to open source medical apps: Laboratory, pharmacy and patient management systems at a three-campus facility are going open source.
Implementing OpenVista required six months of initial development work starting in March 2005 before the first hospital application, a pharmacy application, went live in October. The laboratory application went live in early December. Over the past two weeks, the hospital has taken other applications live, including its first clinical unit EHR software as well as EHR capabilities for a nursing unit and its same-day surgery unit. Midland Memorial also has a small computerised physician order entry application running.

The Electronic Health Record Vendor Association's (EHRVA) Interoperability Roadmap v2.0
This Interoperability Roadmap represents the unified position of the HIMSS EHRVA and describes the incremental components and steps required to enable an NHIN. Included are architecture components, communications and data standards, and the process required to enable the secure exchange of healthcare information among source (or “edge”) applications. “Edge” systems include electronic health records (EHRs) where data may be originated, stored and communicated to the core infrastructure components utilized to share that information among receiving applications that use it to support clinicians in delivering patient-centric healthcare.

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology Pilot Test Results and Plans for Commercial Certification
According to the report, better than half (53%) of all test criteria or procedures were acceptable and do not need to be changed. Another 23% required only minor revision while 7% needed be to referred back to the CCHIT work group, either for their revision or a re-evaluation as to whether the criteria are truly applicable. The time vendors needed to complete the testing program ranged widely from 10 to 18 hours, with vendors claiming they spent from 34.5 hours to 336 hours preparing for, participating in and performing their own, post-test evaluation of the program.

CPOE Implementation Guide - Rules of Engagement
Fewer than 5 percent of U.S. hospitals have implemented CPOE systems. Many are deterred by the complex, costly and time-consuming challenge of fundamentally changing care-delivery processes, behavior and technology. Yet transformation driven by CPOE and other clinical information technology systems has led to better, more effective care for pioneering medical institutions. To assist organizations in planning and implementing CPOE, the Alliance has drawn on the experiences and lessons of senior executives from all healthcare sectors to offer a comprehensive yet practical guide to leading and managing change as health IT systems are implemented. (Note: at $395 it had better be good!)

Open Source Software: A Primer for Health Care Leaders
While not heralding the end of commercial software vendors, the report concludes that conditions are ripe for open source solutions to take root in health care, and that it will likely become the standard for capturing, sharing, and managing patient information to support quality care. It also notes that health care businesses have the opportunity to take the lead and drive the shift to this new model.

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