Slashdot Mirror
Open Source Solutions for Public Health?
ubiquitin asks: "This week at the CDC's PHIN conference there is a lot of buzz about the possibilities of building out an infrastructure for the public health information network with both closed and open source technologies, especially since the work needs to be solidly secure and is typically done under tight budgets. A handful of states are currently involved and more are getting on board, so it may well be a genuine growth opportunity for Linux/Apache/MySQL-based systems. What would really be helpful are stories about how Open Source systems have been put to use in public health departments, labs, or clinics. Does Slashdot have any such anecdotes to share?"
I would take a serious look at HIPPA requirements before implementing something not specifically designed for health care related systems. The requirements for HIPPA (Healthcare Information Privacy and Portability Act, I think) are pretty strict about the format of data. That being said, I'd head over to The Open Source Health Care Alliance. I'm not sure they are still active.