We’re a small Physical Therapists office and are looking for an alternative to Practice Fusion or Medgen. We have a couple of questions before we start using Open EMR.
It seems like we’d have to make our computer the server for this to work. Can we just download OpenEMR then upload the whole thing to godaddy(where we have our web site) and have it work?
You probably have a small website using a shared hosting environment (as opposed to a dedicated server.) Because you are low volume, you do not need a dedicated server.
However, for security reasons, especially if you want to follow HIPPA, it would be inappropriate for you to have your website served on a shared hosting environment. Additionally, to properly install certain parts of OpenEMR, you need root access. Shared hosting environments do not allow shared access.
However, if you upgrade to a dedicated host (either virtual dedicated, or true dedicated) then you will have root access, and your information will be secure from a HIPPA standpoint (as long as you or someone in your employ are the only ones with root access.)
The problem for you is that on godaddy this type of webhosting is significantly more expensive. Their prices for this are very expensive compared to other webhosts. You might consider trying another webhost to get a dedicated server for a more reasonable price. 1and1.com is a well known, reputable webhost with much better pricing for dedicated webhosting (approx $60/month). There are others, but you would need to shop around.
Actually, someone was able to get it running on a shared hosting environment. However, it took a lot of trouble shooting, and an intervention from the hosting provider (to change directory permissions).
I still believe that there are HIPPA issues with a shared hosting environment.
I was wrong about price. It looks like 1and1.com and godaddy.com both have dedicated virtual hosting for only $30/month.
For my needs, I was looking at full dedicated hosting, which is much more expensive. I need this because I will have a large amount of scanned documents, and 40GB of hard drive space won’t cut it. In that case, 1and1.com has much better pricing.
Many of the companies developing and supporting Openemr also offer hosting for a reasonable fee. That way, you get tech support and hosting in one package. We are using mi-squared, though there are others. Check the list at
Also, if your needs are modest, you can just run your own server. You will want to be able to back up your data to somewhere off site, but that can be as simple as using a portable hard drive, and taking it home with you at the end of the day.