9 Ways Health IT – Beyond EHRs – Helps Patients

Even among very knowledgeable people, the concept of health information technology is often equated with its most familiar element, “electronic health records.” Adoption of electronic health records are a critical first step to realizing the transformational power of Health IT – but getting out of paper enables even greater HIT capabilities.

The fact that health record data can now be digitized is what allows it to move. With the help of other technologies, that same information can be integrated with multiple information sources, analyzed and presented in ways that produce knowledge, stimulate coordinated actions between and across caregivers and more fully engage patients in their care decisions.

Health IT has the power to improve the health care system to result in safer and more efficient care; care that’s more convenient for patients and health providers alike. Here are nine examples of health IT — what it means, why it matters, and why you should care. Put simply, health IT does the following...