Study: Health IT will not meet goals, does not improve care

Several major health providers are likely to fall short of Institute of Medicine goals if they stick with their current health IT systems, says a new study.

The National Research Council looked at eight providers and their computing and information management systems. It found that IT systems were used more often to comply with regulations or defend against lawsuits--not to improve care.

The study also found that physicians were not utilizing decision-support applications to help them form whole pictures of their patients. Instead, they were spending too much time sifting through raw data like laboratory results.

The report also suggested that the healthcare industry should focus on improving quality of care in implementing health IT.

To learn more about the study:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece (reg. req.)