Study: Health IT May Not Save Costs

Research recently published in the Journal of Health Affairs concludes that giving physicians electronic access to patient's health information does not deter them from ordering tests, and in fact, may encourage doctors to order even more tests.

The study, Giving Office-Based Physicians Electronic Access To Patients’ Prior Imaging And Lab Results Did Not Deter Ordering Of Tests, was led by Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor of Medicine Danny McCormick, MD.

“Our research raises real concerns about whether health information technology is going to be the answer to reducing costs,” Dr. McCormick told the New York Times.

Source: New York Times article