Leaders of Open Health Tools, a nonprofit trade association that uses health IT to promote worldwide health and well-being, and HIMSS, a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare, have agreed to collaborate on several fronts, including the use of open source technology, conferences and resources, such as whitepapers and webinars. This collaboration will result in a new effort to deliver healthcare industry-specific guidance and non-proprietary solutions that aid in enabling the national vision of secure and seamless exchange of health information.
“Open Health Tools looks forward to joining with HIMSS to provide real-world value and accelerate innovation through health IT infrastructure and tools that enable better care and better health at lower cost,” said Dr. Rob Kolodner, Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Open Health Tools. “This collaboration is another step toward our future vision of an agile, ubiquitous health IT ecosystem capable of responding to the rapidly evolving functional and interoperability needs of a Learning Health System.”
“Integration and interoperability of healthcare information has been a HIMSS strategic priority over many years,” said Jim St.Clair, Senior Director, Interoperability and Standards, HIMSS. “This collaboration with Open Health Tools adds another pillar of support to our 2012 priority to offer open and extensible tools to our membership and stakeholders to fulfill the national vision of interoperable heath technology.”
Initial collaborative activities include support to the HIMSS Interoperability “tool kit,” currently under development; collaboration on projects such as an OHT-IHE joint user interface project and joint IHE-Patient Care Devices OHT interoperability extensions for telehealth and telemedicine. The groups have also agreed to author joint whitepapers.
About HIMSS
HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded 51 years ago, HIMSS and its related organizations are headquartered in Chicago with additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. HIMSS represents more than 44,000 individual members, of which more than two thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations. HIMSS also includes over 570 corporate members and more than 170 not-for-profit organizations that share our mission of transforming healthcare through the effective use of information technology and management systems. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare practices and public policy through its content expertise, professional development, research initiatives, and media vehicles designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to improving the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care. To learn more about HIMSS and to find out how to join us and our members in advancing our cause, please visit our website at www.himss.org.
About Open Health Tools
Open Health Tools is a nonprofit organization that promotes the availability of open technologies in healthcare worldwide. With over 60 members, Open Health Tools is transforming the global market for healthcare IT in ways that make access to high quality healthcare easier and more affordable. Open Health Tools develops and uses open source software code and implements transparent and egalitarian governance processes that serve the needs of development communities around the world. To learn more about Open Health tools please visit our website at www.openhealthtools.org.
