Digital strategies in health service delivery

Abstract

The Internet has already begun to accelerate a transition, driven by economic, technological and social forces, in the provision of health services. Early US e-health ventures such as WebMD were premised on the commercial opportunities offered by the Internet to better manage the huge amounts of documentation and complex reimbursement transactions that characterize health service delivery. Similarly, hospital managers, regulatory agencies, health professionals and patient groups speak (often prematurely) of the role of digital technology in disseminating evidence-based treatment guidelines, speeding up medical care delivery and reducing dangerous errors.