Presstopia wrote:
Hi folks,
I have a basic management package that I developed and which is currently being used by just over 20 physicians in Ontario, Canada. From time to time, I get asked if I can implement an EMR solution to go along with the practice management software. I was initially tempted to start developing an EMR package myself but after seeing OpenVista I think it would be a perfect product to offer my customers in the event they are looking to implement an EMR.
Hi! We're glad you're interested in OpenVista.
Do I need approval from MedSphere, or pay them licensing fees, before I can Install OpenVista for a customer?
Nope.
Can I charge my customers for implementation and training of OpenVista, or do I need to offer these services free of charge?
You can charge for the implementation and training.
Most of my customers would probably prefer to host the Server application on-site, but I would also like to offer my customers the option of connecting to and using an instance of the Server application that I host off-site. If I do that, can I charge my customers a "hosting" fee to help cover the cost of hosting?
Yes, you can charge a hosting fee.
Can I charge my customers a monthly support fee if they would prefer me to fully support the product as opposed to having their own IT staff do it? Actually, some of my customers don't even have full-time IT person at their disposal.
Yes, you can charge a support fee.
Am I allowed to make modifications to the code and charge my customers for the time spent making those changes?
Yes, you can charge for modifications.
Since OpenVista is licensed under the AGPL, you can do all of these things. However, you must tell your customers (even if they are using OpenVista as a hosted service) that OpenVista is open source software licensed under the AGPL, and that they can get the source code if they want it. Also, if you enhance OpenVista, you must make your enhancements available to your customers under the AGPL. I think I probably need to make the standard disclaimer that I am not a lawyer, and just in case, I should probably say that my responses above do not constitue explicit permission for you to do these things, but rather are my understanding of the AGPL license which we make OpenVista available under. Since the AGPL is a well-understood open source license, I'd encourage you to read more about it online and get a real lawyer to review your options.
Finally, I'll mention that while you are free to use OpenVista under the AGPL without any formal help from Medsphere, it may be advantageous for you to partner with Medsphere if you're planning on rolling OpenVista out to your customers.
