Medkey HIS

Medkey HIS is a free, open-source hospital and clinic information system with electronic health record features, written in PHP on the Yii2 framework and run as a self-hosted web application. It is aimed at medical organisations that want patient registration, appointments, service orders, price lists and staff scheduling in one browser-based system. People searching for “medkey his” usually want the GitHub project published by medkey-org.

There is no “MedKey Dental”. Medkey has no dental module, no odontogram and no dental charting code; its GitHub repository carries a “dental” topic tag, but the modules it contains are configuration, CRM, dashboard, help, location, medical, organisation, security and work planning. A dental clinic could only use it as a general scheduling, ordering and patient registry system. The project is also dormant: the last packaged build is 1.0.0 (beta) from December 2019, the last commit dates from April 2020, and the project website medkey.org did not respond when we checked in September 2026.

Medkey HIS at a glance

What it does

• Patient registry with personal data, insurance numbers and identity documents.
• Appointment scheduling, with employee work schedules managed from the employee profile.
• Medical referrals (“directions”) grouped by specialty.
• CRM-style handling of medical orders, with a price list of services that fills in costs automatically.
• Directories of insurance companies and insurance policies.
• Organisation structure, locations and employee directory.
• Role-based access control and configurable dashboards with widgets.
• Modules and plugins: new features can be added as separate modules or extend existing ones. Interface languages listed on SourceForge: English and Russian.

How dental teams use it

Medkey has no dental functions, so these are the general clinic workflows a dental practice could reuse.

Set up dental services and orders

1. Enter your services in the price list, for example consultation, scaling or extraction.
2. Create an order for the patient; the cost is taken from the price list.
3. Track the order through the CRM screens.

Plan dentists’ schedules and appointments

1. Add each dentist as an employee and define the work schedule in the employee profile.
2. Book appointments against those schedules.
3. Use the dashboard widgets to see the day’s workload.

Evaluate it with Docker

1. Clone the repository from GitHub.
2. Use the included Docker Compose file, which builds the application and starts a PostgreSQL 11.2 database; the web interface is mapped to port 8090.
3. Test with dummy patients only. Clinical tooth records would need a custom module written in PHP.

Install and first run

• Requirements: PHP 7.3 or later, PostgreSQL or MySQL, and RabbitMQ; the front end uses Webpack, React and Backbone, so building it needs a Node.js toolchain.
• Docker: the Docker Compose route is the least effort for a test install, because it packages the web server and database.
• Packaged build: SourceForge has medkey_v1.0.0.a (about 36 MB, December 2019) for Linux and Windows servers.
• Documentation gotcha: the README sends users to a wiki and demo on medkey.org for all instructions, and that site did not respond when we checked. You will be working from the code and the Russian-language changelog.
• Localisation gotcha: some patient fields reflect Russian administrative practice (tax number, insurance number, passport), so expect adaptation for the US, UK, Canada or EU.

Limitations

• No dental module, odontogram or dental charting, despite the “dental” topic tag on GitHub.
• Dormant: last build December 2019, last commit April 2020, beta status.
• Official website, wiki and demo were unreachable in September 2026.
• No insurance claims processing for dental practices in English-speaking markets.
• Requires PHP and server administration skills; there is no desktop installer.
• No regulatory clearance is claimed by the project.

Medkey HIS vs alternatives

If you want free software for a hospital or multi-department clinic, OpenClinic GA has ready installers and more features. If you run a dental practice, choose dedicated dental software.

FAQ

What is Medkey HIS?

A free, open-source hospital and clinic information system with EHR features, built in PHP (Yii2 and Symfony components) and published on GitHub by medkey-org.

Is there a MedKey Dental version?

No. There is only the general Medkey system; it has no dental module or tooth chart.

Is Medkey free?

Yes. The README states it is licensed under the GPL v3 and can be used free of charge by any medical organisation.

How do I install Medkey?

The simplest route is the Docker Compose file in the GitHub repository, which starts the application and a PostgreSQL database. A manual install needs PHP 7.3+, PostgreSQL or MySQL and RabbitMQ.

Is there a Medkey demo?

The README links to a demo on medkey.org, but the site did not respond in September 2026. A local Docker install is the reliable way to try it.

Is Medkey still developed?

No visible development since April 2020, and the latest build is a 2019 beta.

Last checked against official sources: 28 September 2026 (developer website: github.com). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in a clinic.