Not only does technology affect society’s relationships, government, learning, and teaching, it also has an astounding impact on healthcare. Information technology is part of the daily life of healthcare professionals. Throughout the past three decades, the healthcare literature has described the growing impact of technology on health and human services. According to Steven Smith,Vice President and Editorial Director for Medscape, Inc. (1998), physicians spend 38 percent of their time charting in the medical record. Other healthcare professionals spend this amount of time or more gathering, sharing, or seeking information. Technology assists in managing all stages of information. If information is power, healthcare information affects the power to promote health and wellness.
As exemplified in the opening scenario of this chapter, automation enables the practitioner to process information that is accurate, unduplicated, error free, and accessible from remote areas by multiple persons at one time. Information that is rapidly available through technology affects decision making in healthcare. Informed decision makers produce better patient outcomes. Competition has also become a driving force in the pricing and marketing of healthcare. Federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid, health maintenance organizations, and managed-care programs encourage payment methodologies that promote competition. To offer competitive and quality service, information must be readily available to make decisions. Information technology allows this to happen. A leadership survey conducted by Hospitals & Health Networks in 1997 reveals that adding information technology is one of the top two goals of hospitals, managed care organizations, and group practices. To stay competitive in national and international healthcare, the healthcare delivery system, including all allied health professions, must be receptive to new information and ideas.
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