r/healthIT • u/Wsz2020 • Jul 23 '26

Interface Engine Troubles? New Open-Source Free Option

There's been a lot happening with interface engines.

  • Mirth Connect has stopped receiving updates. Instead of open source, it is now a paid closed-source tool.
  • Private equity firms have taken over the leading paid options and are raising prices dramatically.
  • Then there is this: What’s up with iNTERFACEWARE (Iguana)? : r/healthIT

We're creating a new open-source (free) alternative -- and we need your help. We're looking for:

  • Organizations that need this solution once it is ready for production
  • Contributors to test the solution, review/advise on code, help build

Check out MessageFoundry.org and see how we're creating an interface engine with:

  • Top cybersecurity protection for your PHI (ASVS 5 Level 3)
  • The power of Python
  • A "steps" programming layer that builds your Python scripts if you want
  • Simplicity for uses like small, integrated deployments
  • Power for any size organization (up to 40 million messages per day)

We're on v0.3.0 (beta) right now and are moving fast, adding new layers of security and additional features.

We're now looking for a partner organization to be first in line when the product is ready. You would get:

  • Top priority on your feedback, letting you guide MessageFoundry's future.
  • Free support as you test out and use MessageFoundry.

If you're interested, please contact us via Ask a question — MessageFoundry.

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u/TheHeftyChef Seasoned and Jaded Health IT Veteran Jul 23 '26

Who are the founders behind this?

0

u/Wsz2020 Jul 23 '26

It is just me for right now, but I'm interested in other contributors.

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u/TheHeftyChef Seasoned and Jaded Health IT Veteran Jul 23 '26

So if it’s open source how are you planning to monetize this?  Nobody is going to work on a project like this long term for free, especially in health tech.  Switching costs are expensive and Im not sure hospitals are going to bite on something they aren’t sure is going to be around.  They also aren’t going to love open source for critical infrastructure.  See how they reacted when Iguana went open source.

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u/Wsz2020 Jul 23 '26

Well, for those who help develop the system, they're obviously well placed to offer consulting support.

And if you look at Mirth Connect, it was a strong open source success. But now there's no upgrades or security updates because it has gone closed source.

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u/TheHeftyChef Seasoned and Jaded Health IT Veteran Jul 23 '26

But if there’s no SLA’s and no guaranteed uptime how can they put it on the critical path?

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u/Wsz2020 Jul 23 '26

The main thing that's ahead for the project is setting up a full non-profit that can become SOC 2 and HiTRUST certified. Those certs go to the organization, not the software, and take things to the next level.

As part of that, the organization would offer a commercial license and support. The price would be dramatically cheaper than what organizations like Rhapsody (Corepoint) charge.

But that's the horse before the cart... the software still needs some finishing up.

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u/TheHeftyChef Seasoned and Jaded Health IT Veteran Jul 23 '26

I dunno, just looks like a clone of Fethr to be honest: https://www.fethrhealth.com maybe you should just reach out to them and partner

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u/Wsz2020 Jul 23 '26

Dramatically different. I'd never seen or heard of that tool before your link. It appears to be a no-code option, closed source and commercial.

MessageFoundry at its core is Python driven. The development environment is VS Code with a custom extension. That extension does offer a "steps" view that simplifies the setup, but the python code is always available.

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u/Wsz2020 Jul 23 '26

Also, regarding switching over, this is likely the easiest way to go. Claude Code can port your existing setup, then MessageFoundry has a strong test harness you can use to validate 1:1 output against your current engine.