OSCAR EMR is a free, open-source electronic medical record and billing system for Canadian primary care, created by Dr. David Chan and McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine. People searching for an OSCAR EMR download are usually family physicians, clinic managers or IT staff in Ontario and British Columbia. It is not dental software, and dentists will not find tooth charting or dental claims in it.
The OSCAR landscape changed in 2026. The community OSCAR 19 line is being wound down, most clinics already run a commercial variant (OSCAR Pro) or a hosted fork, and new open-source forks are carrying the code forward. This page explains what is current, so you do not install something that is heading for end of life.
OSCAR EMR at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Latest version | OSCAR 19, community stable branch (last code update June 2026); ongoing maintenance and support suspended in August 2026 |
| Licence | Free and open source, McMaster University GPL v2+ (the OSCAR name is a McMaster trademark) |
| Platforms | Linux server (Ubuntu), Java web application on Tomcat with MySQL/MariaDB; users work in a web browser |
| Developer | McMaster University, Department of Family Medicine, and the OSCAR open-source community |
| Official website | fammed.mcmaster.ca/oscar-emr |
| Best for | Canadian family practices and clinics billing Ontario OHIP or BC MSP |
What it does
- Appointment scheduler for multiple providers.
- eChart (encounter record) with notes, problems, medications, allergies and preventions.
- Prescriptions (oscarRx) and consultation requests to specialists.
- Automated billing and reconciliation for Ontario (OHIP) and British Columbia (MSP).
- eForms: fillable clinical and administrative forms, with a large community library of shared eForms.
- Ticklers (task reminders) and messaging between staff.
- Lab result import and document management for scanned reports.
How dental teams use it
OSCAR has no dental features, so real dental use is limited to organisations that already run OSCAR for medical care:
Community health centres with a dental clinic
Register dental patients in the same demographic database, book them into a dental provider’s schedule and record visits with an eForm designed for dental screening or referral. Detailed dental charting stays in the dental team’s own practice software.
Referrals between physicians and dentists
Set up the dentist or oral surgeon as a specialist, then send consultation requests from the eChart with the relevant history and medication list attached. The reply can be scanned or faxed back into the patient’s documents.
Install and first run
- Community OSCAR 19: runs on Ubuntu (22.04 was the reference platform) with Java, Tomcat and MariaDB/MySQL. Given the August 2026 end-of-life notice, do not start a new clinic on it.
- OpenOSP: an open-source (GPLv3) set of Docker and Docker Compose tools for deploying OSCAR-based EMRs; it defaults to the current Open-O release.
- CARLOS EMR: the replacement nominated by the OSCAR Galaxy community. It is a GPL v2 fork of Open-O (itself forked from OSCAR) and ships Debian packages that set up the application, MariaDB, an nginx web application firewall, HTTPS and encrypted backups on Ubuntu.
- OSCAR Pro: managed by WELL EMR Group and obtained through authorised service providers rather than a public installer.
- Gotchas: billing configuration is province-specific; check your provincial privacy requirements before choosing where to host patient data; eForms written for one variant may need adjustment in another.
Limitations
- Community OSCAR 19 is end of life: maintenance and support were suspended on 26 August 2026, and the notice mentions published and undisclosed security vulnerabilities.
- Designed for Canadian medical billing; not useful for US, UK or EU billing.
- No dental charting, periodontal charting or dental claims.
- Self-hosting requires real Linux, Java and database skills; most clinics pay a service provider for hosting and support.
- Several variants (OSCAR Pro, Open-O, CARLOS and others) now differ in features and update schedules.
OSCAR EMR vs alternatives
OpenEMR is the most active free EHR, but built around US billing. Bahmni targets hospitals in low-resource settings. For dental offices, none of these replace dental software: Open Dental is a dental practice system and supports Canadian installs.
FAQ
Is OSCAR EMR free?
The software is free and open source under McMaster’s GPL v2+ licence. In practice, most clinics pay a service provider for hosting, support, updates and training.
Where can I get an OSCAR EMR download?
McMaster publishes the source code of the deployed OSCAR versions on Bitbucket and lists authorised providers under “Get OSCAR”. For a new self-hosted install, look at the maintained forks such as CARLOS or Open-O deployed with OpenOSP.
What happened to OSCAR 19?
On 26 August 2026 the OSCAR Galaxy community announced that maintenance and support for OSCAR 19 had been suspended and recommended migrating to CARLOS EMR or another supported EMR.
OSCAR EMR vs Accuro: what is the difference?
Accuro is a commercial Canadian EMR sold by a single vendor. OSCAR is open source and available through several providers and forks, which gives more choice but less uniformity.
How do I log in to OSCAR EMR?
Each clinic or provider runs its own OSCAR server with its own web address. Ask your clinic administrator or OSCAR service provider for the correct login URL.
Is there free OSCAR EMR training online?
The OSCAR Galaxy community site hosts manuals, documentation and a large eForm library. Service providers usually include training for their own variant.
Can a dental clinic use OSCAR EMR?
Only for shared registration, scheduling and referrals in mixed medical-dental centres. For charting and dental billing, use dental practice software.
Last checked against official sources: 26 September 2026 (developer website: fammed.mcmaster.ca). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in a clinic.
