Frequently Asked Questions
01. What is OpenMRS?
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OpenMRS is a collaborative open-source electronic medical record (EMR) system designed to support healthcare delivery in resource-constrained environments. Built by a global community, it enables healthcare organizations in 80+ countries to create customized medical records systems adapted to their needs.
02. Who is OpenMRS Inc?
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OpenMRS Inc is the non-profit fiscal sponsor for OpenMRS, governed by a Board of Directors and supported by an Executive Team as well as the OpenMRS Community. Learn more here.
03. What does OpenMRS Inc do?
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It ensures that the OpenMRS Community’s strategy, operations, and activities adhere to the community’s mission, vision and core values. It advocates for resources with sponsors and donors. It also handles all legal and financial interests of the OpenMRS Community.
04. How much does OpenMRS cost?
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OpenMRS is free and open-source. There are no licensing fees, and all core resources and community support are freely available. Organizations do need to budget for implementation, training, maintenance, and infrastructure costs.
05. Who uses OpenMRS?
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OpenMRS is used by healthcare organizations in 80+ countries worldwide, particularly in developing countries. These organizations may be public, government-funded institutions, or private software vendors, or NGOs, serving hospitals, clinics, and global health initiatives across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and beyond, managing 22+ million patient records globally.
06. What makes OpenMRS different?
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OpenMRS offers complete customization freedom, no licensing costs, and is specifically designed for resource-constrained environments. It’s built by a global community focused on improving healthcare access worldwide, with modern architecture and FHIR support for interoperability.
07. Do I need programming skills to use OpenMRS?
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While basic technical knowledge is helpful, OpenMRS can be configured without extensive programming. However, successful implementation typically requires systems analysis skills, medical informatics knowledge, and technical support for installation and maintenance.
08. How do I get started?
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Please see our detailed Get Involved page.
09. Does OpenMRS offer bug bounties or paid bounties for security reports?
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OpenMRS does not offer bug bounties at this time. Please see our Position on Bounties here.
For security reports: Please see our Security 101 page for information on how to report a finding. OpenMRS does not offer bounties for security reports at this time.
We are grateful to all volunteer reporters and contributors! For job opportunities in the OpenMRS network, please see our public Job Board.
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