I interpreted his quote differently. The difference is not in abstract vs concrete but in open vs closed. Presumably, the researchers building open-source EMR

I interpreted his quote differently. The difference is not in abstract vs concrete but in open vs closed. Presumably, the researchers building open-source EMR systems do talk to patients and hospitals rather than building abstract software in a void. They don't, however, need to worry about profitability and would be more free to integrate with other systems and not try to create lock-in.