Health Affairs, 24, no. 5 (2005): 1263-1265 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.24.5.1263 © 2005 by Project HOPE	New Online   New Issue: China & India   Obesity In China   Pay Cuts For Medicare Docs   Access To Care Woes

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Health Information Technology Policy

PERSPECTIVE

Federal Investment In Health Information Technology: How To Motivate It?

Health care market failures include inefficient standard making, problems with coordination among local providers to optimize care, and inability to measure quality accurately, inexpensively, or reliably. Study of other industries suggests policy directions for health information technology and the magnitude of gains from improving market functioning, which are very large. A perspective drawn from U.S. industrial history—in particular railroads and the interstate highway system—suggests an investment level roughly consistent with recent estimates drawn from the medical literature. The benefits of quick action probably outweigh the benefits of delaying and choosing the perfect funding mechanism.

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