The benefits and perils of system integration

The current health care environment is complex, with no single systems solution dominating the marketplace. A new approach utilizes Networked Systems Integration to link disparate systems together. This paper discusses the Systems Integration approach and suggests that it encourages user commitment, provides greater modularity, is cost effective, and supports solutions that offer greater functionality. However, it is noted that this approach is not without problems that can dramatically effect the realization of benefits.