GOC

Open Health Tools (OHT), which operates an open source community for healthcare industry-related software, got a boost recently when California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) donated software code components from a $10 million data exchange project. This code will help OHT accelerate its health information exchange initiative.

 

CollabNet facilitated the donation from CHCF to OHT, and will support future code donations in a similar fashion. Additional help was provided by Palamida, which analyzed CHCF’s code base and created an inventory of projects.

 

The clinical use of digital information, and the ability of computer systems to share patient data, is a key part of transforming the effectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare industry. These goals do pose information technology (IT) challenges, though — such as how to securely share sensitive information between institutions. Open source software development is playing a role in solving these problems.

 

“The CollabNet platform is a perfect fit for the vision of a global Health Information Exchange System where health organizations anywhere in the world are able to collaborate, share code and jointly develop software and new technology standards,” said

Tony de la Lama, vice president of CollabNet, in a statement.

 

In its announcement, OHT cited a March, 2006 study by Forrester (News - Alert) Consulting that indicated successful development of open source healthcare software requires viable developer communities. These communities share an interest in particular types of software development.

 

OHT is working to generate a vibrant active ecosystem involving software product and service companies, medical equipment companies, health care providers, insurance companies, government health service agencies, and standards organizations.