Introduction: Public Agencies` Role in EHR Development

Provider organizations and government agencies face important decisions as they adopt and upgrade their information technology systems. The marketplace offers a wide array of options from third-party vendors. On the other hand, the National Data Infrastructure Improvement Consortium (NDIIC) promotes the development of nonproprietary and “open source” software that can be shared among states and counties and their provider networks. In this special section, we present four viewpoints on this topic. Share your thoughts and experiences on ourdiscussion board. Behavioral Healthcare 2008;28(7):19.