The return on investment for information technology.

Investment in information technology accounts for an increasingly large component of the cost of modern health care. In most businesses, a quantitative return on investment analysis forms the basis for decisions regarding technology investment. As a whole, the medical community lags behind in the quantitative analysis of the benefits of information technology. However, economic pressures are forcing health care organizations to step back and understand the implications of technology investments and how they can best be applied to create a more productive staff and, in the end, better patient care.