Medical information systems and their importance in managed care

The increasing emphasis on managed care has added a new class of information-management responsibilities to providers' clinical obligations. Fiscal constraints have placed a premium on operational efficiency, and managing payer and patient expectations requires ready access to increasing amounts of information. Provider groups may benefit from an understanding of the tools that are becoming available to address their emerging information management tasks. Modern information applications of potential use to providers are outlined. The data acquisition and decision-support features of provider workstations are described. A simplified schema is presented to assist caregivers in identifying their information-management needs and in crafting a strategy for addressing them. Recent technological trends (including the growing impact of Internet-based tools) are highlighted.