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New Open Source Software Spots Health Epidemics

The next time evidence of a possible health epidemic rears it's ugly head, TriSano, Utah's new infectious disease reporting system, will help spread the word. Developed by the Collaborative Software Initiative, it's a much needed improvement over the current notification method -- the fax machine.

Created by the Collaborative Software Institute, TriSano is part of the CSI project [PDF] which is designed to "bring together like-minded companies to build software applications at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods."

CSI corporate development officer Laurie Williams told ZDnet's Dana Blankenhorn this new notification method will let health officials track potential epidemics in real time, rather than wait for faxes to trickle in from doctors reporting their diagnostic findings.

Williams says there are currently around 75 reportable diseases in Utah, so TriSano includes a form-builder that allows doctors to create just what they need. Physicians can manage the software themselves or through TriSano's Software as a Service.

According to Blankenhorn, this means a "faster, flexible, less-expensive system for creating and maintaining infectious disease reports. Utah will train its people first, CSI will seek to roll it out nationwide, and everyone (including you) will reap the benefits."

• trisano
• healthcare
• disease
• epidemic
• cdc

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