HL7 IP to be free to use

Sep 4, 2012

So, as widely distributed in the last few hours, HL7 IP is to be free to use:

Today, the HL7 Board of Directors committed to licensing its standards and other selected HL7 intellectual property free of charge. This policy is consistent with HL7’s vision of making our collaborative and consensus-driven standards the most widely used in healthcare, and with our mission of achieving interoperability in ways that put the needs of our stakeholders first. Our primary aim is to maximize benefits to our members, the healthcare community, and all those who have contributed to make HL7 standards so successful.

I endorse this change - but it won’t be without pain, particularly in the shorter term. Keith recognised my work as one of the contributing factors:

Graham Grieve insisted that his IP which became FHIR, wouldn’t be given to HL7 unless certain stipulations were agreed to about its availability

Well, thanks Keith. But what this does mean is that I’ve been thinking about this already, and I’m worried about it. HL7 is a (not for profit) business built around a particular revenue model. For me, making FHIR free was non-threatening because FHIR is not a contributor to the bottom line today, and because the other standards would continue to function as they did. Making the other standards free, well, that changes things. The FAQ link above says:

What is the expected impact of licensing HL7’s IP free of charge in terms of membership?We anticipate that the decision to remove cost barriers will increase membership within HL7. In the U.S., for example, HL7 standards are integral to Meaningful Use. The need for industry input on the HL7 standards selected for Meaningful Use Stage 2 is one significant factor that will help drive increases in both membership and HL7 member participation, which is crucial to making our standards easier to use.Once the standards are available at no cost, why would your current members renew their membership?There are many important benefits to HL7 membership beyond access to and the right to use our standards. These include: opportunities to collaborate with others in the field of HIT and standards development; input into and voting privileges on HL7 standards; access to implementation tools, HL7 meetings and other resources; and the right to run for and participate in elections of HL7 leadership positions

I agree with the idea that initiatives like Meaningful use and similar things in other countries will drive membership - but this is a long term thing, that leads to a different type of member. In the short term, there are HL7 members who are only members because they have to be to use the IP - these members do not appreciate the important other benefits HL7 offers, and it’s likely that for some members, the benefits aren’t genuine. These members will take the commercial decision of declining to continue to be members.

I don’t know how many members fit into this category - but I expect that the near future will be a wild ride for HL7. There’s going to be change - and people who derive their income directly from HL7, such as staff, have to be real nervous about how this will play out.In the mean time, HL7 will have to figure out how to change, quickly. This is hinted at in the FAQ:

We will also be reaching out to our members to assess how we can enhance the value of membership in the future

The fact that FAQ about how the content was to become free was initially only available to members - you can take that as a token of the depth of change that is required.

Next weeks’ meeting in Baltimore is going to be interesting.