Oscar McMaster

What Oscar McMaster does

Oscar McMaster, branded as OSCAR-EMR, is an open-source Electronic Medical Records system created by Dr. David Chan and McMaster University's Department of Family Medicine, headquartered in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The legal and governing entity is McMaster University, a public Canadian university; the firmographic record lists 1-10 employees, reflecting the lean coordination team within the academic department rather than a commercial headcount. OSCAR is deployed as a Java-based web application distributed as WAR files and governed under McMaster University's GPL Version 2+ open-source license, with source code publicly available on Bitbucket repositories (OSCAR Pro managed by WELL EMR Group and McMaster's stable branch) and developer collaboration coordinated through the SourceForge Developer Listserv. Quality management is aligned with ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 27001, and OSCAR is positioned as the clinician's integrated hub within an ever-expanding digital health ecosystem of services and apps.

The product serves primary care physicians and family doctors across academic medical centers and community practice settings in Canada, including McMaster, Queen's, McGill, and the University of British Columbia, with adoption described as extending to thousands of physicians across diverse practice settings. The core value proposition centers on being secure, connected, feature-rich, and cost-effective, with OSCAR positioned as one of the top EMRs in Canada. Notable technical components include the apps.health integration platform created by Well Health Technologies, which coordinates and profiles authorized third-party integrations with OSCAR software that meet minimum standards for API usage, privacy and security due diligence, and no server-side deployment requirements.

The business model is fundamentally open-source distribution: OSCAR-EMR is freely available under GPL Version 2+, with no publicly disclosed pricing and no direct license revenue captured by McMaster. Commercial monetization is channeled indirectly through affiliated organizations such as WELL EMR Group, which manages OSCAR Pro as a quality-managed, supported deployment, and through the apps.health integration ecosystem by Well Health Technologies. The OSCAR brand is a protected trademark that may only be used or referenced with written authorization from McMaster, and organizations wishing to offer OSCAR software must affiliate with McMaster and meet defined standards for quality, innovation, and ethical data stewardship. No funding rounds, acquisitions, or revenue figures are disclosed in the source data.

Name

Oscar McMaster

Legal name

McMaster University

Website

https://oscar-emr.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Oscar McMaster (OSCAR-EMR) is an open-source Electronic Medical Records system created by Dr. David Chan and McMaster University's Department of Family Medicine, serving primary care physicians and family doctors across Canadian academic medical centers and community practices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

EHR Extensions, APIs, App Marketplaces & SMART-on-FHIR Apps (HLACAAAN)

Keywords

• Open-source EMR
• Electronic medical records
• Clinical documentation software
• Primary care EMR
• Healthcare interoperability

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Open-Source EMR Distribution: OSCAR-EMR is distributed as open-source software under GPL Version 2+ license. The source code is freely available for anyone to download, use or modify. Revenue generation is facilitated through affiliated organizations like WELL EMR Group that provide managed services, support, and quality-managed deployments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

OSCAR-EMR is an open-source Electronic Medical Records system created by Dr. David Chan and McMaster University's Department of Family Medicine. It is a Java-based web application distributed under McMaster University's GPL Version 2+ license and is positioned as a clinician's integrated hub within a digital health ecosystem of services and apps. Quality-managed deployments (OSCAR Pro) are available through the affiliated organization WELL EMR Group.

Product overview

OSCAR-EMR is a single, unified open-source electronic medical record platform for family medicine practices. The core OSCAR-EMR product provides secure, connected, feature-rich EMR functionality governed by McMaster University's GPL Version 2+ license. Quality-managed implementations (OSCAR Pro) are available through Well EMR Group, an affiliated organization. The platform is the designated integration hub for a growing ecosystem of third-party apps and services coordinated through apps.health by Well Health Technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OSCAR-EMR

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WELL EMR GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWELL EMR Group is McMaster's affiliated organization for OSCAR software distribution, managing OSCAR Pro. They provide support, quality management, and coordination of development work to ensure security and regulatory requirements are fulfilled. Contact: [email protected]
• Well Health Technologies (apps.health)coreTechnology or IntegrationWell Health Technologies has created apps.health to coordinate, confirm, and profile authorized integrations with OSCAR software. Each app profile lists OSCAR versions for which integration has been confirmed as meeting minimum standard requirements (uses APIs, due diligence for privacy/security, no server-side deployment).
• McGill UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the network of engaged clinicians collaborating with McMaster on OSCAR development and knowledge sharing among a vibrant community.
• Queen's UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the network of engaged clinicians collaborating with McMaster on OSCAR development and knowledge sharing among a vibrant community.
• University of British ColumbiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the network of engaged clinicians collaborating with McMaster on OSCAR development and knowledge sharing among a vibrant community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Oracle Health (Cerner): Enterprise health IT platform resulting from Oracle's acquisition of Cerner. Comparable in providing large-scale EHR and clinical workflow solutions with API-driven integration ecosystems.
• eClinicalWorks: Large US ambulatory EHR vendor serving primary care and specialty practices. Comparable in targeting community physicians with feature-rich EMR functionality and an integrated app ecosystem.
• Practice Fusion: US-based ambulatory EHR platform historically targeted at independent primary care practices. Comparable in serving community physicians with a streamlined, cost-conscious EHR offering.
• TELUS Health: Major Canadian digital health incumbent offering EMR solutions (e.g., Med Access, PS Suite) to physicians and clinics. Competes with OSCAR in the Canadian primary care EMR market but as part of a much broader health services portfolio.
• Epic Systems: Dominant enterprise EHR vendor in North America. Provides a comparable electronic medical record platform with API/app extensibility, though oriented toward large hospital systems rather than open-source community distribution.

Direct peers

• OpenEMR: Open-source EMR/EHR project with global community adoption. Most directly comparable to OSCAR in terms of open-source licensing model and primary care EHR functionality.
• WELL Health Technologies: Parent of WELL EMR Group, the affiliated commercial distributor of OSCAR Pro. Operates a Canadian clinic and digital health platform with overlapping EMR and primary care technology focus, making it the most direct commercial counterpart.
• Medfar: Canadian EMR vendor behind the Myle platform, serving primary care clinics across Canada. Directly competes with OSCAR for family physician adoption in the Canadian market.
• QHR Technologies (Accuro EMR): Long-standing Canadian EMR vendor (Accuro) used by family physicians and specialists. Competes head-to-head with OSCAR for Canadian primary care market share.

Regional players

• Think Research: Canadian health technology company providing clinical software and EMR-adjacent tools to primary care and specialty practices. Comparable in serving Canadian clinicians with digital workflow solutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRtbqpXc9wjg5SdupVgE4Bg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oscar-emr
• Instagraminstagram.com/mcmasterfammed
• Xx.com/oscarmcmaster

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oscar McMaster