Technology key for better health care

November 26, 2007

The United States leads the world in medical technology, but you’d never know it by stepping into a doctor’s waiting room or hospital admissions office.

Paper files. Handwritten prescription slips and patient charts. It’s obvious that the medical establishment has yet to complete the jump to the Internet Age. Our health care system has fallen behind every sector of our economy, from car repairs to manufacturing to air travel, for no good reason. There’s something wrong when you can walk away from a bank or mechanic with a detailed, easy-to-read printout but, when it comes to your health, you’re left hoping the pharmacist can make out the doctor’s handwriting. (San Jose Mercury News)