Feature
Watch the Video, Earn the Credits
Learn how to improve care transitions and prevent avoidable hospital readmissions, and pick up nursing and medical education con-ed credits.
Read more
Many industries have lowered costs and improved quality through investments in information technology. The health care sector, however, has been slow to follow suit. Many providers lack the computer systems necessary to track a patient's care or coordinate it across all the providers a patient may see. Increasingly, the federal government has stressed the value of health information technology (HIT) in helping providers to share information quickly, monitor compliance with treatment guidelines and measure and improve their own performance. In 2009, Congress approved $29 billion for a national HIT infrastructure.
- Information technology can improve the quality of care patients receive by averting medical errors, improving communication and boosting efficiency.
- New federal laws aim to spur health care providers to adopt information technology more widely in their everyday work.
Health Policy Snapshot
Two-page briefs providing insight and analysis on key issues affecting health and health care in the United States.
View allCongress approved $29 bil for national Health Information Technology infrastructure