Medical records to be placed online by some HMOs.

Abstract

In recent years, health care policy experts have been urging medical institutions to convert their paper records to electronic form as an important step to avoid medication errors and other mistakes caused by incomplete patient information. Electronic systems also facilitate evaluation of individual physicians and the effectiveness of new treatments. Given the technology's enormous cost, coupled with the difficulty of persuading busy physicians to change the way they practice, as well as the privacy concerns, adoption has been slowed.