Healthcare as a Startup

Senator Proposes Grants for Open Source EMRs

May 1, 2009

Remember when I mentioned the issue of open source EMRs having trouble scraping up enough money to get certified, as would be required by the HITECH portion of the ARRA for users to get their stimulus money?  Senator John D. Rockefeller has unknowingly proposed an interesting solution: federal grants to subsidize open source development.

I’m not sure Rockefeller understands how open source projects are typically funded (blood, sweat, & tears…but usually little in the way of $), and I see no mention of utilizing this money to achieve CCHIT certification, but he could have stumbled upon an interesting solution to a problem he may not know exists.

CCHIT has to charge something for the certification process because it’s supposedly extremely time consuming.  And while open source EMR developers may be rich in passion and skillz, the vast majority of them aren’t going to be able to put up the money for certification…so why not make federal grants available to subsidize these non-profit organizations developing software that everyone can benefit from?

I’ll throw out a hybrid solution: CCHIT lowers their certification costs for open source projects by 50%, potential users/developers of the system scrape together some money to cover half the remaining  cost, and grants be made available to cover the rest.  At that rate, we’d be looking at as little as $10k from users/devs and $10k in grants to get an open source EMR certified every 3 years.  Could be a solution that keeps the open source community thriving, requires at least $10k of “buy-in” from prospective users, ensures CCHIT can cover most of its own costs, and provides a excellent alternatives for healthcare providers who find open source systems to be a better value than traditional closed source ones.

Justin

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