A glass slipper? For cash-strapped organizations with EMR dreams, open-source software may be a perfect fit.

Open-source EMR software is a potential, and relatively economical, option for hospital organizations that can't afford proprietary commercial EMR software, or whose leaders want a non-commercial option. While access to VistA's source code is free, any hospital organization seeking to implement commercialized VistA will need assistance from one of the vendors supporting that software. Implementing open-source is a bit closer to self-development than to implementing proprietary, commercial EMR software. CCHIT recently announced it will introduce new channels for certification of open-source EMR software, addressing the concerns of those in healthcare who want to pursue the open-source option while also applying for funding under ARRA-HITECH.