There is plenty of enthusiasm surrounding the idea of open source solutions in healthcare, but getting policies in place hasn't been easy. Open source advocate Fred Trotter was prepared to do battle when he met recently with representatives of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT), but got a pleasant surprise instead. [Several] issues were brought up in the meeting, he writes, and CCHIT is listening to everyone.
Trotter went to the meeting loaded for bear. The FOSS community, to the degree that such a thing is possible, had authorized me to go nuclear on the issue before the meeting, he writes. I had been given assurance that the community has been so frustrated with dealing with CCHIT that if they did not work with us that if I started an alternative certification program that I would be backed up with the dollars and brains from the community needed to make an alternative certification go.
