ABSTRACT
Abstract: Information-intensive industries, such as health care, rely extensively on the ability to store, process, analyze, and use data. Although other information-intensive industries have adopted information technology aggressively and reaped the benefits that result from usage, the health care industry has been notoriously slow to implement information systems, with some researchers suggesting that health care is ten to fifteen years behind other industries. Recognizing the critical importance of decision quality in the health care sector, together with the need to improve the speed and efficiency of operations, many have called for the transformation of the health care industry through widespread adoption and usage of information technology (IT). In this paper, we define and discuss health information technology (HIT) and the extensive opportunities for IS research in this field. In particular, we direct our attention to the electronic personal health record (PHR) and investigate the justification for adopting a class of software that we label a discretionary application. Finally, we report findings from an empirical investigation of PHR usage; we show that specific demographic and health conditions drive value for PHRs and ultimately usage intentions. Keywords: Health Information Technology, Personal Health Records, Electronic Health Records, Electronic Medical Records, HIT, PHR, EHR, EMR, eHealth
INTRODUCTION
“Implementing a computerized record system . . . could save 60,000 lives, prevent 500,000 serious medication errors, and save $9.7 billion each year.”
