Providers expanding HIT adoption in '08

Providers are already spending big money on clinical technology, and it looks like they're only planning to spend more this year, according to a new study by strategic marketing firm the Gantry Group. According to the firm's research, healthcare providers allocated 40 percent or more of their current technology budget to clinical technology in 2007, including digital medical imaging, medication management, e-prescribing, RFID solutions, electronic medical records, patient care planning tools, patient documentation, and mobile applications. Generally speaking, CIOs are moving away from custom, in-house created applications and looking for commercial packages that suit their needs, the study concluded.

By the end of 2008, over 80 percent of facilities will have invested in key clinical technologies, Gantry Group predicts. The costliest items on provider budgets were digital medical imaging and electronic medical records, which in combination, ate up 64 percent of providers' clinical technology budgets. Among those surveyed, meanwhile, about 50 percent said they spent more than $10 million in health technology, and 53 percent said they'd probably reach that level within the next year, according to researchers.

To get more data from the study:
- read this Gantry Group press release

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