On Wed, 5 Jan 2011, Kim Carder wrote:
Hello, I work for Dr. Kyle Brydon an Ophthalmologist in St. Thomas and we are currently changing to electronic medical records and are currently in the process of changing operating systems. We currently are on a Mac and will be turning PC and running a Linux based software called Oscar specifically geared to EMR Ophthalmology. My question is, when calling around London area there does not seem to be anyone who is willing to or knows much about Linux O/S. Can you suggest anyone in the area that sells Linux based servers and will service them and have ongoing Linux support? This is very frustrating. We would like to run dual software with Windows as well. Before purchasing hardware I am looking for someone who has used the Linux O/S. Thanks for taking the time to answer my e-mail. Kim Carder Kim Carder
Hi Kim. I was hoping to direct you to a local LUG as a source of good Linux people. You will often find consultants attending LUG meetings. Unfortunately I'm having trouble finding info on the London Ontario Linux User Group (LOLUG).
Depending on your requirements you may be able to run OSCAR remotely, on a physical or virtual server situated outside your area. There may be regulatory requirements that effect where you can store medical data. There may be resource requirements that make it more cost effective to use locally situated hardware.
My recommendation is to get advice on the design of the entire system from good technical people. Too many organisations design an IT system themselves and then call in technical people to build it. A lot of the value of using an experienced technical person is to get them involved at the design stage.
I'm sure you've heard of them but this may be a good place to source a consultant. http://www.oscarcanada.org/
Cheers, Rob -- Email: robert [ at ] timetraveller [ dot ] org Linux counter ID #16440 IRC: Solver (OFTC & Freenode) Web: http://www.practicalsysadmin.com Contributing member of Software in the Public Interest (http://spi-inc.org/) Open Source: The revolution that silently changed the world