Yet, he said they can overcome those basic differences through the web. Some systems are so primitive that FitzGerald said he has even seen doctors use colored index cards to record services rendered, with a different color card for each day of the week. Also, IT cuts costs in buying supplies. And yes, doctors can monitor their hospitalized patients from their desktop computers, especially now that doctors have little time in their harried day to make their rounds. From the patient's standpoint, too, the web improves care.
Physician practices can use web sites and e-mail to monitor chronically ill patients.
The next big trend in health care is likely to be disease management, which is becoming easier to carry out thanks to improved technology. FitzGerald said the biggest opportunities for disease management can be found in treating diabetes and congestive heart failure. For example, with diabetics, patients can log their sugar levels daily through a web site. If there is a problem, the computer can alert the doctor. However, FitzGerald admits that the technology is only as good as its user.