Google’s Eric Schmidt on Open Source and Health IT

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/01/11/jp-morgan-healthcare-googles-schmidt-on-open-source-and-health-it/

by yanw • 16 years ago

11 7 16 years ago

blogs.wsj.com

phlux3• 16 years ago

Sounds like Eric hasnt heard of OpenVista.

Also, he is simplifying the problem. I agree with him - but there are some major factors in this problem that are more than just the simple "go open source" solution he seems to propose.

Namely, it's about how organizations have made decisions and their ENTIRE WORKFLOW is designed around the EHR app they use.

niels_olson• 16 years ago

We have got to stop talking about VistA. It casts a cloud over the whole conversation. Look at what's coming out of the Regenstrief Institute. They built some of the original VistA components (like CHCS) and have built other systems from the ground up, like OpenMRS.

phlux3• 16 years ago

My point was he spoke as though there were no efforts on open source EHR.

The fact is, that there is a lot of work going on - what is needed is actual leadership.

TomOfTTB2• 16 years ago

I found this paragraph interesting from not just a Health IT perspective but from an "understanding Google" perspective...

“If I were not doing what I’m doing and I wanted to do something in health care … I would go to all of the research universities and would try to figure out where the best, interesting IT software is that can be open-sourced,” he said at a health-IT panel discussion. “My guess is that a platform like that would be remarkably different from the platforms that we are using today,” he said.

He wouldn't go to the patients to find out what they want or to the Hospitals to find out what they need he'd turn to the research community. I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing. It probably has aspects of both.

But it's instructional because that's not what normal software company's tend to do. For example, when Microsoft wants to build a health platform they go to hospitals and do usability tests with doctors and nurses.

phlux3• 16 years ago

I think he was speaking a little too soon... obviously thats a too engineering focused response.

There is so much thought going on in this area, the next year is going to be very interesting in healthcare.

TomOfTTB2• 16 years ago

I don't think it has anything to do with an engineering response. The issue is in defining the problem where as engineering is about applying knowledge to a problem.

The theory I'm putting forth is that Google tends to see things in the abstract. "The world needs a web based office package" vs "Company X has 100,000 employees and they want this feature". The later response is how a traditional software company like Microsoft thinks.

So for Google solving the problem of medical records for the world means going to people they perceive as deep thinkers (like researchers) and devising a system in a vacuum. Where as Microsoft would go to the line-staff level and design up.

(and for the record I'm not necessarily condemning either strategy. In fact I think the best possible scenario is to have two companies with those philosophies competing with each other)

Google’s Eric Schmidt on Open Source and Health IT

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