I am in the process of setting up an OpenEMR server and wanted to ask the developer’s of the OpenEMR project if any consideration has been given to somehow tying in the opensource Asterisk PBX with OpenEMR?
Would this be feasible? With a link-up to an Asterisk PBX it would be possible to use CallerID to automatically bring up a caller’s records.
I am not a developer, nor a programmer, so I cannot contribute any skills to undertake this, but for those of you who have the skills it may be worthwhile for you to consider.
It is absolutely possible. Asterisk is designed for doing stuff like that.
The only problem is that is a little cumbersome to implement a push system from Asterisk server to the web browser. So couple of middlemen are needed. one that pushes info from the * and a custom server on the OpenEMR that does the jig. plus a way to constantly query that custom server using XMLHttpRequest.
As an initial thought to elaborate further.
A more or less approach can be like this:
include a little <div> hidden beneath using z axis sets.
That div implements xmlrequests every couple of seconds to a custom server in the OpenEMR box.
The custom server in the openEMR box does the following: It querys the Asterisk box to get the CIDs (or is listening to the app on the * that sends the CIDs to it). Then checks those CIDs against the phone database. When it hits a match changes the z index, and a little banner with the patient info is shown. If you click, you’ll go to that patient record.
Theoretically I have the Asterisk and "custom server" skills to do this, but may be not enough XMLHttpRequest skills yet to do the Ajax part.
A call button in the patient chart can be placed there to. (this one is much easier)
It would be great if this would happen! Also, the call button would be a good addition to the patient chart. Also, while I am thinking about it, a calling reminder would be beneficial as well. Maybe set it up somehow where the patient’s response to the call is transmitted back over to a table in OpenEMR (such Patient Acknowledges Appointment / Patient Wishes to reschedule / Patient Wishes to cancel).
Yes there are many interesting possibilities. I’m not a big fan of pushing events to the browser (HTML was never meant to work that way), but it would be very straightforward to implement a button that pops up a list of the most recent calls, showing the matching patients and allowing you to select one.
Automated appointment reminders would also be excellent.