Strategic IT applications in health care

This article focuses on the strategic application of information technology (IT) in health care sector in the U.S. The use of information technology is increasing in the U.S. health care industry. A survey by Sheldon I. Dorenfest & Associates Ltd. of Chicago, Illinois, estimated that IT spending on health care in 2002 would be $21.6 billion. Further exponential growth can be expected as the industry implements further large-scale electronic medical record keeping; provides remote diagnostics via telemedicine; upgrades hospital information systems; sets up intranets and extranets for sharing information and uses public networks, including the Internet and community health information networks, to distribute health-related information. To develop a strategic IT framework two key dimensions of systems integration can be used, internal integration and external integration. Computerized patient record systems, document management systems, data warehouses, and intranets all potentially enhance the information sharing and integration of internal systems in health care organizations.