On The (Medical) Record

all of the big talk for health reform, one of the major initiatives discussed has been the implementation of health IT. Now the claims are that health IT will allow health care to be more efficient, better organized and cheaper through the use of technology. This sounds like a great idea and it is one of the many concepts that will be getting funding through the stimulus package. Of course, this all begs the question, how will doctors use it? It will certainly take time for doctors to adjust from all-paper records to a completely digitized work environment. However the payoffs, now with government incentives, seem to make it a worthwhile endeavor.