I think there's a lot to be said for trying to tap into the larger
development community. Speaking personally, I never realized that I would
become involved with healthcare informatics, but in retrospect, I find it
very interesting.
With regard to business rules in VistA, you're absolutely right. Some
business rules are built into data dictionaries as various types of
constraints (input transforms, screens, etc., if you're familiar with
Fileman terminology), but most are not (and even in this case, the
constraints are expressed as MUMPS code). Instead, most business rules are
built into application code, making it difficult to reuse that code in a new
business environment. The representation of business rules in one of the
major issues involved in integrating MUMPS based VistA applications with
non-MUMPS, non-Fileman applications.
Personally, I think developing components/building blocks is the right way
to go. Even if different hospitals or facilities do business in entirely
different ways, it will still be the case that they need to maintain much of
the same data, perform essentially similar tasks, etc. It makes sense to
encapsulate these types of modules or objects and make them as generic as
possible, thus allowing the same components to be reused in different
environments or as business needs or regulations change. We are in the
position to do this from the start.
===
Gregory Woodhouse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Financial Product Line
+1 415 744 6362
"Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is
about telescopes." -- E.W. Dijkstra
-----Original Message-----
From: Alvin Marcelo [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2000 1:25 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Meeting and Standard objects
Two things:
1. Anyone volunteering to contact Tim O'Reilly for our inclusion? Anyone
with info on when the next OReilly conf is going to be held? and where?
2. I was thinking...the VA has its business rules which it has
painstakingly integrated into VistA...would these business rules apply to
another institution, like for example, a private hospital? I doubt it...
Maybe we are asking for too much. Maybe we shouldn't be discussing about
EMR's but rather standard medical objects/building blocks from which we
can each build our EMR's. Are there any available already?
One object set has been posted by Nancy
Orvis..
http://www.hirs.osd.mil/hdp/
Any comments on these? Can we start building objects from The OSD specs?
Are there any other specs?
3. What is the best open source object oriented database management system
currently available?
Alvin
