What kind of information will be required if we are to reform health care?

The only logical way to avoid unnecessary future costs and improve quality is to analyze the past, providing input for the present. The informational management strategies are ready. There is continuous quality improvement, profiling with case-mix adjustment, and other techniques that will help us manage care and caring. But these strategies all rely on the customer being empowered to make truly informed decisions (the ethical principle of autonomy) and for us to advocate for patients (beneficence). Translating relevant data into information is the concentration of medical informatics. Virtually everyone in medical management can attest to the fact that, competitive forces notwithstanding, it is time for us to recognize not only that we are in the information business, but also that this information belongs to a larger community. Clearly, it is time to collaborate!