The promise of object technology: what's in it for healthcare?

This article focuses on the application of a new business computing model--Objects. Although Object Technology is not new, its widespread use in healthcare information management executives struggle with the integration demands of the new enterprise, Object Technology will unleash the true power of desktop computing and lessen the many quandaries faced with the integration and aggregation of strategic enterprise data. As we move forward, the new healthcare business model will attempt to create the "virtual enterprise." This new enterprise, will be lean and nimble and allow the Integrated Delivery System (IDS) to deliver care to a broader population with fewer requirements for expensive and scarce resources. To do this, the IDS must possess the technology to share key data, with partners and providers, that will allow faster and more accurate decision making. This article presents the "natural fit" of Object Technology and its ability to solve the complex computing issues of the new healthcare enterprise.