AAFP EHR Project
Still at the AMIA meeting in Washingotn DC. This afternoon there is good wireless access in the conference room -- unlike the morning.
I'm now at a session hosted by Alan Zuckerman. Alan is a guy who seems to have lots of energy and is always working on yet another project.
Other presenters at this session include David Kibbe - who is the architect of the AAFP EHR project - and Michael Bainbridege. Mike is from across the pond - and worked for Meditel (now Torex). Mike is chair of the BCS Primary Health Care Specialist Group.
The title of this session is:
"A phoenix Rises from the ashes of Open Source: Lessons learned and New Directions Taken"
I suppose this refers to the Oceana product I've discussed before ... that's the phoenix. Now the product has been transferred to Medplexus.
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Notes from David Kibbe's talk:
- Nine Technology Companies will announce a coalition arround a set of principles (see ACID from yesterday)
- History:
- 1/2001 - AAFP board of directors agreed that by the end of 2003, all of family physicians would be using the Internet in their practices, and by 2005, xx% would use an electronic health record.
- In fact, by now - many (?85%?) are using the INternet by now .. but there has not been a significant move to the EHR .. roughly 9% are using EHR now.
- Rick Peters and David had been talking about open source .. so brought to the AAFP the completed application that Rick had written as Oceana (now Medplexus) .. and suggested theat a new not-for-proft coropration be created to develop and maintain this open source EHR.
- Bottom line is that the AAFP could not do this on their own and then they went to the other societies (AAP, ACP, SGIM, ACOG, etc) and tried to get their involvement. The didn't sign on - so AAFP was left needing to make a decision about what to do.
- This was 6/2003. AAFP had engaged its members ("over 6,000 AAFP members had contacted me and said that this was a good idea") - as well as CMS and some potential industry partners.
- So now what to do? AAFP felt that they needed to move forward -- and found lots of industry support ("Java programmers and XML programmers came out of the woodowrk to help us develop an open source EHR")
- So . what to do?
Meetings started with big companies "that you would recognize."
- Who is this? He didn't say .. "nine companies"
- hmm .. what we've heard on the street ..
- GE
- Siemens
- PMSI
- HP (hardware)
- IBM
- NextGen (?)
- hmm ... who else?
- hmm .. what we've heard on the street ..
- What to do?
- Principles (this is the ACID test mentioned yesterday).
- David is discussing this at length - but isn't really giving us any more than we had yesterday. It makes sense .. and is all just fine- but is really rather global - and within the ACID principles -- there remains a great deal of ambiguity.
- The "Data Stewardship" issue is important - and David reminds us that it is of paramount importance to the
- Unformity of data transfer methods. He's telling us that CCR "will be a breakthrough continuity of care standard - done in XML."
- "Open source is being replaced with a model of guiding principles and open standards."
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Alan Zuckerman is now talking. He's more focused on the "open source" discussion.
The original goal of the project was to take an open source product - and fund the installation and development.
What is an EHR?
ooh ... low battery .. more later .. better post this for now ..
http://www.doh.gov.uk/ipu/