The Government Accounting Office issues a very disturbing report showing how billions of dollars are being wasted by the federal government on information technology projects. Several health projects feature prominently.
Evidence from research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine based on adoption in Massachusetts of EHRs suggests no real cost benefit, even when not considering the costs of implementing and using the systems.
Rock Health releases a report on funding of “digital health” in the first half of 2013, finding a modest increase.
A survey by Accenture looks at use of health information technology in several countries, finding increased use by physicians, especially for clinical purposes.
There is a heated debate about whether electronic medical records will save the health system money or improve quality and what their economic impact on health care providers will be. A survey reported in Health Affairs suggests that results may be mixed.