Study: Mature health IT system could save $162B annually

The September/October issue of Health Affairs spotlights health information technology, offering two studies by the RAND Corporation which assess the potential impact of a mature national technology infrastructure. In one study, the research group projects that the healthcare system as a whole could save as much as $162 billion per year if electronic medical records were implemented widely and doctors and hospitals used systems capable of communicating with each other.

An integrated system would significantly reduce adverse drug events, improve care management and help encourage the use of preventative medicine. The most appreciable savings, the researchers argue, would come with more efficient improved treatment of chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes, an area where up to $147 billion per year could be saved.

- see this story from the Associated Press
- see this press release from Health Affairs

PLUS: Also in Health Affairs, pundit J.D. Kleinke examines the role of market failure in the creation of a national health information infrastructure. Abstract

ALSO: Rosenfeld and Bernasak look at ways in which Medicare can influence physician HIT adoption. Abstract

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