Resumen
A revolution is taking place in the health care field with information technology (IT) playing an increasingly important role in its delivery. The industry spent between $12 billion and $16 billion on IT in 1996. Further exponential growth is expected as the health care industry implements electronic medical records, upgrades hospital information systems, sets up intranets for sharing information among related participants, and uses public networks, such as the Internet, to distribute health-related information and provide remote diagnostics via telemedicine. This present demand for IT is fueled by drastic changes in the health care industry and its approach to health care. While it is generally perceived that the health care industry's use of IT is 10-15 years behind sectors such as banking, airlines, and manufacturing, that perception is rapidly changing. Today's health care providers, faced with an unprecedented era of competition, are exploring IT opportunities in reducing the overall costs of health care delivery while improving the quality. The challenge lies in using various forms of IT to organize, store, and present health information in a timely and efficient manner for effective health-related decision-making.