Better Medicine Through Information Technology

By Robert Burgelman, Philip Meza, Robert Pearl
2004 | Case No. SM136
What impact could information technology have on the problems affecting health care in the U.S.? It seemed that IT would be able to make a fast impact in improving transaction processing (reducing costs) and improving accuracy of diagnoses and treatment (improving quality). There was also scope for increased use of outsourcing, which could improve availability of care in some instances. But what had to happen—what forces had to come to bear, what structural and cultural changes were necessary—in order for IT to play a more significant role in health care today and in the future? What examples were there of successful implementation of IT systems in health care today and what had been the impact of their investments?
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