Feds to Host NHIN Software Code-a-Thon

The Health and Human Services Department will sponsor a "code-a-thon" Aug. 27 so open source programmers can meet to collaborate on ways to improve the CONNECT gateway, software that lets organizations access the Nationwide Health Information Network.

A code-a-thon is typically held by open source communities so that programmers can collaborate for a day or a weekend on writing code for specific high priority items for an open source project.

"The code-a-thon gives programmers an opportunity to meet face to face and get to know each other rather than simply just communicating by email," said David Riley, the CONNECT program lead for the Federal Health Architecture (FHA) program in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.

More than 20 federal agencies, working under the auspices of the FHA, helped develop the CONNECT software, which enables agencies as well as private sector health organizations to exchange health records securely via the protocols and core services of the NHIN. In April, HHS released a version of the CONNECT software to the open source community.