Health Affairs

Health Affairs, doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.27.5.w383 (Published online August 19, 2008) © 2008 by Project HOPE	New Online   Getting Health Reform Done   After the State of the Union   Incremental Reform   E-Health in Developing World   Most-Read Articles in 2009

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Health Information Technology: A Few Years Of Magical Thinking?

Carol C. Diamond ^1* Clay Shirky ²

¹ Carol Diamond is managing director of the Health Program at the Markle Foundation in New York City.
² Clay Shirky is an adjunct professor in the Graduate Interactive Telecommunications Program, New York University, also in New York City.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

One of the biggest obstacles to expanding the use of information technology (IT) in health care may be the current narrow focus on how to stimulate its adoption. The challenge of thinking of IT as a tool to improve quality requires serious attention to transforming the U.S. health care system as a whole, rather than simply computerizing the current setup. Proponents of health IT must resist "magical thinking," such as the notion that technology will transform our broken system, absent integrated work on policy or incentives. The alternative route to transforming the system sets all of its sights on the destination. [Health Affairs 27, no. 5 (2008): w383-w390 (published online 19 August 2008; 10.1377/hlthaff.27.5.w383)]

Key Words: Business Of Health, Consumer Issues, Health Reform, Quality Of Care, Research And Technology, Health Information Technology

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