You have been asked to evaluate an open-source EHR known as OpenEMR. It is a full-fledged EHR with a practice management system. It can be hosted in the cloud or locally on desktop computers. It can be installed on most operating systems and the software is available in multiple languages. First, visit the main web site at www.open-emr.org and review all features.

Please review the demo at this site:

https://omp.openmedpractice.com/testdrive/interface/login/login_frame.php?site=default (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

The username and password are on bottom of the Demo's main page.

Next, navigate the menu on the left to become familiar with its features. Have a look at OpenEMR, play around, create a new patient or add a visit encounter to an established patient. How easy is it to find information and input information about patients? Look at the billing section and see if you can assign CPT or ICD-9 codes to your visit encounter and generate a bill.

Lastly, discuss the advantages of the open-source approach, as well as the disadvantages. Who would this type of EHR appeal to the most? It is free but what about support and customization? Does it have all of the features required for meaningful use?