Visions of the Future

Originally Published MX September/October 2004

SPECIAL REPORT: IT IN HEALTHCARE

To stay in step, medtech manufacturers will have to begin developing their products to meet increasing demand for integration and interoperability.

Brad Burg

There's no way to sugarcoat this news: when it comes to making use of the tools developed by the information technology (IT) revolution, the world's healthcare systems are lagging behind nearly every other industry.

There's no dearth of arguments in favor of the adoption of such systems. Among the most frequently adduced grounds for implementing IT systems are the potential for improving patient safety, gaining greater efficiency, and reducing overall healthcare costs. But these terms themselves incorporate a wide variety of potential benefits—and they're just a part of the picture.