A Framework for Considering Business Models

Information Technology (IT) such as computerized physician order entry, computer-‎based decision support and alerting systems and electronic prescribing can reduce ‎medical errors and improve the quality of health care. However, the business value of ‎these systems is frequently questioned. At present a number of barriers exist to realizing ‎the potential of IT to improve quality of care. Some of these barriers are: the ‎ineffectiveness of existing error reporting systems, low investment in IT infrastructure, ‎legal impediments to reforms and the difficulty in demonstrating a sufficient return on ‎investment to justify expenditures for quality improvement. This paper provides an ‎overview of these issues, a framework for considering business models, and example of ‎successful implementations of IT to improve quality of patient care.