Here’s a little quiz for you. U.S. hospitals’ errors kill more people each year than:
A. Breast cancer
B. HIV / AIDS
C. Cardiovascular disease
If you guessed A or B, you’d be right; and you’d be in the minority who recognize just how dangerous a place hospitals can be.
Healthcare is a classic information-driven industry. Yet until recently, it suffered from a dearth of technology to support those we entrust with our lives. To reduce the avoidable harm we do and improve efficiency and effectiveness in healthcare delivery, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) stipulated that hospitals and other healthcare providers adopt technology to meet what are called Meaningful Use criteria. As part of this program, every eligible provider in the United States was offered between $44,000 and $63,000 if they adopted technology to support meaningful use.
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