Safety Net Providers find Benefits & Problems with Open Source

Safety net providers have both succeeded and struggled with open source software, according a federally-funded study.

On the whole, though, researchers from the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center found found “ample evidence to indicate that these systems created workflow efficiencies within their clinical environments,” and they concluded that the federal government should offer further funding assistance.

The safety net providers interviewed for the study use three different open source EHRs. Primary Care Systems, in Clay, West Virginia, use a RPMS-based system called MedLynks. In California, Family Health Centers of San Diego uses WorldVista, JWCH Institute in Los Angeles uses OpenMRS, and Operation Samahan, south of San Diego, uses ClearHealth. In Arizona, both Adelante Healthcare and Wesley Community Health Center, in greater Phoenix, were using WorldVistA when the researchers visited.

In general, the open source software “provided robust functionality” for clinical management and financial administration, including for Meaningful Use requirements, and also received fair user satisfaction ratings. “Although some users encountered issues with implementation and maintenance, a strong majority concurred that these problems did not detract from the utility and future potential of these systems,” the researchers wrote.