Universal Medical Records

Massive Scalable DB & Communications are key for OpenUMR

noreply@blogger.com (Gastón Fourcade) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:07:00 +0000

After no success in the Piramal Prize contest we discuss more deeply around the main Idea of OpenUMR project.

First, we are still without formal economic support. That´s mean that our work has only our spare time to support it. We are still looking for external funding, but so far it does not exists.

Going back to our project, we are still studing the technologies which makes OpenUMR more easy to implement.

We have been focused in 2 different areas:

Infrastructure ---> Databases

Communications ----> Protocols Standards

Regarding DB, I will say there are lot of information about the kind of Databases needed for Open UMR

Hadoop is just one example, but probably is not the best one because AFAIK lack of the needed security that OpenUMR requires.

But High Scalable Databases are growing legs and I believe will stay with us for very long time.

Even if this new generation of light structured info

rmation stores are just beginning, there are enough examples to keep us busy for couple of months.

In short, without the required budget, and no venture capitals betting on OpenUMR, we will have to keep working on our owns.

I will classify the Massive Structure Information Store Available today:

Non suitable for OpenUMR:

- Hadoop

- MapReduce

Probably a better fit for OpenUMR:

- Cassandra

- BigTable

- HyperTable

- Vertica for the Cloud

Regarding the second main area, communications we ae deeply analyzing the Connecting for Health Information. Finally there is an organization working towards a Common Framework to share Health information between all the Health Community, starting with you as a user and including healthcare providers and any other health related institutions.

If you are interested in this particular subject, please, take a look at this 2 flash presentations:

Health Communication Common Framework.

A Real World Example of Health Information exchange.

While we keep working on OpenUMR, the 2 giants.... keeps trying to make Google Health and Microsoft Health Vault... success but parnering with companies will forgot to make meaning by engaging the most important part of this kind of projects, the PEOPLE

OpenUMR is like having Doctor House @ Home

noreply@blogger.com (Gastón Fourcade) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:47:00 +0000

We've already discussed how OpenUMR is like having our medical records wherever we are.

Talking this over with some friends, they all agreed that this could be like when you were a child and your mom used to care for, and always have ready all your medical records. But this would allow you to track your medical records for life. After talking this over with my friends I called my mom and asked her if she could recall all the illnesses I had as a child. She was unable to recall many of them.

In short, OpenUMR is even better than mom for anyone who is not an infant with doting parents. But with OpenUMR, there are other benefits. You will be able to find a broader set of doctors, some of them maybe closer to home than you have ever had before. Some might even be able to help you in cross checking diagnostics, others might be able to suggest further avenues for your treatment. Most will offer services for a fee, but in many areas around the world doctors might be able to help for free.

With this community at hand, you will be always more confident in you diagnosis....interacting with the community and doctors in a different way. We could call it telemedicine, others might call it health 2.0 - but whatever we call it the end result is that you will gain the experience of the community (maybe in caring for a child) and feel more confident in your decisions (maybe in deciding how to treat an illness, or considering surgery)

Well, you will feel more confident double, triple, ..... checking with other people and doctors, in a different way (we could call it the telemedicine way.. other will call it the Health 2.0 way) but the output will be valid enough to gain more experience (if you want to know how to clean your baby) or fell more comfortable with your decisions (if you are in the middle of a surgery vs a drugs treatment).

In summary, you will feel like having doctor House @ home!

Is Google on the right way?

noreply@blogger.com (Gastón Fourcade) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:53:00 +0000

Google recently post some good news. As part of the healthcare strategy will launch a pilot and partnership with Cleveland Clinics around Personal Healthcare Records.

What is really funny is... if Health records are Personal, why are you talking with a Clinic, instead of talking with the people?. Well, Schmidt will said that they are taking a customer focus (user central model), but at the same time they are partnering.. with the leader.

I believe that the Google approach is a conservative one, in other words Google is probably worried about what the medical system will think about this new approach.

Probably the medical system will reject it (you can find some initial FUD here), since the healthcare industry (one of the most profitable one) could radically change with the use of new technologies and online communities.

Besides my comments is good to have Google onboard of the boat. This will speedup our trip to the final destination a totally Open Universal Medical Records owned by people and not institutions.

The Fantastic Four and OpenUMR.

noreply@blogger.com (Gastón Fourcade) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:51:00 +0000

The Best thing that could happened to a great idea is to have a wonderful team ready to make it real.

We have a Team.. and as we are 4, I just decided to auto-called The Fantastic Four (by the way, there is no woman on the team... just to avoid easy jokes).

Who we are, well is not easy to define us but I would said, some crazy, enthusiastic, curious group of people:

Alex, Chief Software Architect

MAD, Chief Infrastructure Officer

Sebas, Chief Medical Apps/Services

Me, I will not auto define me.

If you want to join the team... just let us know...

See you @ www.openumr.com soon.

Don´t foget your Visa... neither your passport

noreply@blogger.com (Gastón Fourcade) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 22:16:00 +0000

Are you planning a trip? Don´t forget your ID, Visa or Passport. You will need your documentation to probe you are who you are.

If you are travelling to a foreign country, custom´s systems will check you are clean (there are no bad records in the police department).

This is an example you are in lot of databases, much of your information and history are presents in centralized systems. Is important for the world security that you are not dangerous for other citizen

But... what about you? Are any database keeping track of your latest blood exams?, or Xray?, which is your blood factor and which medication should or should not take? . In short where are your medical records?... You sure will answer: Safe @ home

Should not be useful to carry all the medical recorsa with you?, I meant in an electronic fashion, not different like your email?

Why Is not posible?....

Now working4umr opens the doors to all of all the people who whish and wants to have a more openness medical system to help you not even keep your medicals records all the time with you, also have an easy way to double check diagnostics with virtually all the medical stuff WW.

I hope you like to discuss about this topic.

G.-