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HIMSS14: Report on Open Source Health IT Tracks at the HIMSS Conference in Orlando

I am writing from the floor of the HIMSS14 conference in Orlando, Florida. This has been so far an incredibly exciting conference as the core principles of open source in healthcare that I have been working on for more than a decade are now becoming mainstream. One sees this all over the conference with presentations, discussions, and exhibits around open source software, such as VistA, as well as other keys "open" concepts such as interoperability, open data/data liquidity, open innovation, and collaboration. And in addition, it has been good to catch up with so many friends.

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Healthcare Lessons from the Data Sages at Strata

Most healthcare clinicians don't often think about donating or sharing data. Yet, after hearing Stephen Friend of Sage Bionetworks talk about involving citizens and patients in the field of genetic research at StrataRx 2012, I was curious to learn more...With this in mind, I arrived at this February's Strata conference wondering what I could extrapolate from other more sophisticated data users to healthcare.

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HIMSS14: Open Health Presentations at Annual Health IT Conference

As we outlined in our earlier article, "HIMSS14 Annual Conference and Exhibit Opening with Open Source," open source software as well as collaboration and interoperability in health information technology (HIT) has reached break out levels and the HIMSS conference in Orlando, Florida. Below are some of the conference presentations related to open health. Note the large number of presentations the award-winning VistA EHR developed by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its derivative RPMS developed by the Indian Health Service (IHS). Read More »

HIMSS14: Annual Conference and Exhibit Opening with Open Source Session

The 2014 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition opens today in Orlando, FL. (February 23-27).  The more than 37,000 attendees can notice an important and growing breakthrough for the health IT industry.  For the first time, HIMSS invited OSEHRA to hold a four hour session today beginning at 12:45 pm, Convention Center 203C.  The day’s formal OSEHRA session, among the traditional industry businesses, marks a breakthrough recognition for the emerging benefits and impacts that open source solutions and their many new models of business are generating around the globe. 

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Northrop Grumman to Release Mobile Blue Button for Veterans at HIMSS 2014 Conference

Northrop Grumman is going to release a major upgrade to its Mobile Blue Button for Veterans app during next week's  Annual Exhibition and Conference of the Health Information Management  Systems Society (HIMSS) in Orlando, Florida, according to Jennifer Treger, Director for Northrop Grumman’s Veterans and Military Health Programs. The upgraded app, called the Mobile Blue Button for Veterans has a modified look and feel and has significantly enhanced capabilities. Read More »

28th VistA Community Meeting: VistA Community Coming Together

Years of efforts dedicated to unifying the VistA community as well as VistA code development effort bore fruit during the 28th VistA Community Meeting (VCM) on January 17-19 in Sacramento, CA.  This year's conference became a transition to a closer collaboration between the VistA community, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the non-profit OSEHRA organization. In effect, the conference was more of a workshop where the participants briefed each other on the latest technical developments as well as strategic efforts to increase collaboration.

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Halamka: Advice to the New National Coordinator

Karen DeSalvo started as the new National Coordinator for Healthcare Information Technology on January 13, 2014.  After my brief discussion with her last week, I can already tell she's a good listener, aware of the issues, and is passionate about using healthcare IT as a tool to improve population health...What advice would I give her, given the current state of healthcare IT stakeholders?

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US-UK Sign Health IT Bilateral Agreement-OSEHRA played key early role in negotiations

The US and UK governments have signed a bilateral agreement on Health IT sharing that has profound implications to the open source software in healthcare, open data, and open source EHRs such as VistA.

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HIMSS14: OSEHRA Organizes Open Source EHR Panel at the HIMSS Conference

OSEHRA has been invited to organize an Open Source EHR session at the 2014 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Conference and Exhibition on Sunday, February 23 in Orlando, Florida.  More than 37,000 healthcare IT professionals, clinicians, executives, and vendors from around the world are expected to participate in the HIMSS conference. We are enthusiastic about engaging this community, especially with our unique session focused on user-driven innovations, interagency collaboration, and future investments. Our session will feature success stories from VistA users including Lutheran Medical Center, the North Carolina Department of Health, Oroville Hospital, and the College of St. Scholastica...

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U.S.-U.K. Health IT Collaboration is Official!

OSEHRA...participated in early planning meetings for a bilateral agreement signed on January 23, 2014, by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.K. Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt.  Intended to strengthen the healthcare systems of both countries, the agreement calls for collaboration within health information technology, specifically the sharing of information, tools, and strategies. The agreement outlines specific focal areas: Sharing Quality Indicators, Liberating Data and Putting It to Work, Priming the Health IT Market, and most significantly for OSEHRA-- Adopting Digital Health Record Systems.

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