The hospital industry has completely transformed thanks to the advancement of technology. And, with the increase in the demand for better and safer healthcare, the need for dedicated software that can help hospitals function to the best of their ability has been soaring.
The software listed in this blog have been curated based on certain criteria and they have been included in this list because they meet one of more of the below features/functionalities.
- The software has a user-friendly interface so that it is easy for the end-users to operate and manage the software on a day-to-day basis. Software having simple layouts and easy navigation make it easier for the users to use the system.
- The healthcare ecosystem involves various systems which means that the software has the ability to seamlessly integrate with the other required systems.
- The software offers sufficient customization options so that hospitals and healthcare centers can customize it based on their specific requirements.
- The software offers automated services, such as automatic appointment reminders, etc., which reduces the manual efforts on both sides.
- The software includes robust data recovery and auto backup features to protect against any potential data loss.
- The software is scalable so that it can meet the growing demands of your hospitals and health centers.
Table of Contents
Top 9 Free and Open-Source Hospital Management Software
Since there are several hospital management software available in the market today, it can be quite difficult for you to choose the best among them. We recommend that you give the below listed open-source software a try first and then go ahead with the paid version of the software that best matches your requirements.
Advanced Hospital Management System
Advanced Hospital Management System is another top-notch, easy-to-install hospital management software. This software is ideal for use by health centers of all sizes and types. This open-source software offers all the required features that you would expect from a robust hospital management system. From patient information to accounting to laboratory management, you can use this software to seamlessly manage the day-to-day operations and management of your hospital and health centers.
Key Features of Advanced Hospital Management System:
- Inpatient and outpatient modules
- Customizable reports
- Patient information management
- Drug management
- Hospital database management
- User-friendly interface
- Scheduling features
- Auto backup
Pricing:
Advanced Hospital Management System offers a free version with all the core features.
Availability:
This open-source software is compatible with Windows and can be downloaded for free.
Open Hospital
With Open Hospital, hospitals, and healthcare centers can digitize all their hospital information, such as patient records, lab data, treatment history, and more. This free and open-source software is ideal for use by small and medium-sized hospitals. A key USP of this software is that it requires very little to zero maintenance.
Key Features
- Supports multi-languages
- Patient registration with patient photographs
- Real-time SMS reminders
- PDF and Excel format for report generation
- Pharmacy management
- Vaccination records
- Easy billing modules
- DICOM viewer
Open Clinic GA
Open Clinic GA offers a systematic approach toward integrated information management facilities. This free and open software is a great tool for efficiently managing all your administrative, financial, clinical, and other data. It is a customizable system that offers advanced modules that enable hospitals to better handle their administrative and management functions.
Key Features
- Biometric/Fingerprint identification
- Statistical report generation
- Barcode recognition
- Integrates multilingual drug detection
- Pharmacy stock management
- Support for multimedia platforms like pictures, video, and audio
- Clinical thesaurus available
- Modules for human resource management, lab, and pathology management, patient appointment and scheduling system, etc.
HospitalRun
HospitalRun is a great software for hospitals and healthcare units which have limited resources. This software can be used to enhance the user experience for patients, doctors, and administrators. Using this software, hospitals can streamline their operations and save a lot of time, thus, focusing their time and efforts on other critical tasks. This is especially useful for healthcare centers set up in rural areas as the software can also run without internet connectivity.
Key Features
- Inventory management
- Patient management
- Automatic and ad hoc reporting
- Offline availability
- Expense management
- Patient registration and appointment management
- Customized billing system
- Integration with radiology and imaging information
OpenEMR
Today, OpenEMR is one of the most popular free and open-source hospital management software available in the market. Suitable for use by hospitals and healthcare of all sizes, this software is ONC certified and comes equipped with a wide range of tools and features. It offers features related to all aspects of hospital management, from administration to daily operations to billing to reporting and more.
Key Features
- Role-based and custom menus
- Encryption of patient records
- Automated tracking
- Customizable electronic patient records
- Patient portal with secured chat option
- Advanced scheduling and appointments
- Medical claim management
- Lab integration
One Touch EMR
Next on our list of top 8 free and open-source hospital management software is One Touch EMR – one of the best cloud-based hospital management software that requires no hardware or server installation. It offers several features that enable hospitals to run their operations smoothly and seamlessly. This is an easy-to-use software that can be easily customized as well to suit your hospital management needs.
Key Features
- Intuitive dashboard
- Patient demographic screens in easy-to-read formats
- Highly customizable system
- High level of security with military-level encryption
- Easy documentation
- Real-time notifications for confirmation, cancellation, or rescheduling of appointments
- Compatible with various devices
- Integrated billing system
Bahmni
Bahmni is another great free and open-source hospital management software especially suited for rural healthcare centers. The software was built to assist hospitals set up in low-resource environments and offer them better insights. This software is an ideal option for hospitals and healthcare centers looking to boost their patient care and manage all the clinical and diagnostic functionalities in an efficient manner.
Key Features
- Provides 360-degree patient information – appointments, demographics, billing, discharge, etc.
- Customized report generation
- Flexible workflows and forms
- Ability to generate disease-specific forms
- Drug stock management
- Intuitive dashboard
- Integrates with lab and pathology information
- Accurate billing
OpenMRS
OpenMRS is a simple, flexible, and easy-to-use open-source hospital management software. This software is a great help in enabling hospitals and healthcare centers to improve their healthcare management and boost the quality of patient care. It comes equipped with a unique feature called Capture Visit which enables you to make changes to a patient’s record without opening their profile.
Key Features
- Role-based customizable dashboards
- Extensive framework for managing patient information
- Automatic identifier card and code generation
- Patient repository
- Easily accessible data
- Multiple language support
- Flexible reporting
- Customizable report generation module
Medkey
Medkey is an effective free and open-source hospital management software that enables hospitals and healthcare centers to function in a seamless manner. Suitable for hospitals and healthcare centers of all sizes, this software offers a robust set of features that will enable you to automate various operational processes, thus saving time and effort. You can either install the system on-premise or deploy it as a SaaS solution.
Key Features
- Easy-to-use and intuitive interface
- Seamless integration with third-party solutions
- User-friendly dashboards
- Compatible with all devices and operating systems
- Drug inventory management module
- Customizable modules
Factors to Consider When Choosing HMS
Choosing the right hospital management software is really important. The software that you choose should not only streamline your day-to-day operations but also help you in enhancing the quality of your services while ensuring that you are compliant with the healthcare regulations. Here are some of the key factors that you should consider when choosing HMS.
- First you need to assess and evaluate your specific requirements. You need to find out what are the areas and challenges that need to be addressed by the software. By narrowing down your requirements, you will be able to choose the best HMS.
- You need to conduct a thorough comparison of the features set of different hospital management software. Most of them will have a similar feature set, but some of them may also offer additional features that will make your hospital management process smoother.
- You need to check if it is possible to customize the software to suit your specific requirements. It would be also good if you can find out how scalable is the software and whether it will be able to handle the growing demands of your hospital or medical centers.
- Make sure that you choose a software that offers reliable customer support in a timely manner so that if you face any technical challenges with the software, there is a dedicated team to resolve it for you as soon as possible.
- As mentioned earlier, the hospital management ecosystem is a complex system involving various other systems, so you need to ensure that the HMS you are choosing includes all the required modules, such as appointments, billing, report generation, inpatient and outpatient management, data security, insurance management, etc.
- The HMS should be compliant with all the healthcare regulations, and it should also offer top-notch security features. This will help you to ensure that all your data and patient information remains safe and confidential.
How to Select the Best HMS for Hospital?
Here are some of the criteria to follow while selecting the bet HMS for hospitals:
- Have brainstorming sessions with all the stakeholders to find out what each of their requirements are and then choose the best HMS that fulfills all those requirements.
- Customization is one of the key aspects when choosing any software. You must choose HMS that can be customized as per your requirements.
- Before you finalize the HMS, make sure that you request the software provider to provide demo videos. Watching the demo videos will give you a better understanding of how the software works and whether it is suitable for your hospital.
- Implementing an HMS system involves various steps and processes, such as pilot testing, software setup, trainings, etc. Make sure you carry out all the processes in a phased manner and have a clear understanding of the all the features so that you don’t encounter too many problems during the transition period.
- You need to ensure that the HMS system that you choose also includes extensive and reliable upgrade features and customer support so that the system stays relevant as your business grows.
FAQs
Can HospitalRun integrate with electronic health records (EHRs)?
Yes, HospitalRun as well as many other hospital management software can integrate with electronic health records.
Can you recommend HMS for small hospitals?
Some of the popular HMS for small hospitals include Open Hospital, OpenEMR, Medkey, and Advanced Hospital Management System.
What software system do most hospitals use?
Most hospitals use a hospital management software system that takes care of all their day-to-day operations, right from patient registration and appointment scheduling to billing, report generation, data backup, and more.
Which is better, Epic or Cerner?
Both Epic and Cerner have their own pros and cons and choosing between either of them depends mainly on your requirements. Overall, if you have a long-term practice, then Epic would be the ideal choice and if you are looking for a short-term solution, then Cerner would be ideal.
What is the best healthcare management system?
Some of the best health care management include, Open Clinic GA, One Touch EMR, OpenMRS, Bahmni, etc.
