OpenSourcery

OpenSourcery has partnered with CCHIT to build the next generation of tools for verifying healthcare IT standards. The web-based application, written in jRuby on Rails, moves certification away from a manual process to an automated, easy-to-use web interface. The project joins OpenSourcery and collaborators MITRE and CitiusTech with the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, better known as CCHIT. CCHIT is a recognized certification body (CRB) for electronic health records, and is a widely respected, independent nonprofit organization.

CCHIT selected OpenSourcery to work on Laika -- the aforementioned certification project -- because they were impressed by our Ruby on Rails expertise and the open source electronic medical records (EMR) application we've developed, elementalClinic. We're honored to be the sole paid developer on this exciting project.

Among the technical goals for Laika:

• Migrate the Ruby on Rails application to work in jRuby, which will
  ease deployment and integration with Java-based testing tools.
• Create a plug-in system that will make it easy for developers to add
  new health care validation standards in the future.
• Improve stability of the core application.

Laika is currently part of the certification process for the C32 standard, with Patient Identifier Cross Referencing (PIX), Patient Demographics Query (PDX), and Cross Enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) certification as near-term project goals.

Software engineer Alex Kroman has assumed a leadership role in CCHIT's Laika project, working as the Project Manager and lead User Interface designer. Fellow OpenSourcery software engineer Zack Hobson is the lead jRuby on Rails developer for the project. While Alex and Zack are the principle actors, a variety of OpenSourcery employees have been integral in the project's success.

Please visit elementalClinic to learn more about OpenSourcery's experience with healthcare IT, and subscribe to our RSS feeds to stay apprised of our work with CCHIT and others.