With all the Internet hype in both popular and technical publications, you might expect that LIS vendors are on their way to using this technology. But LIS firms are not the leaders in Internet use. Not surprisingly, email and company Web sites led the way, with all vendors planning to have both within one year. Internet capability can be broadly categorized as to whether it is incorporated in the LIS, such as remote order entry or reporting, or whether it is used in business operations, such as a company Web page or user group communications. Security concerns related to patient confidentiality resulted in business applications being more common than LIS applications by a margin of 67 percent to 45 percent.
Privacy remains an issue Many vendors expressed concern over Internet security.
It is also important to consider availability of Internet access since not everyone has or will have it in the near future. However, most professionals will have access to the Internet within one to two years. Most companies will adopt online information technology just as they incorporated PCs over the last 10 years. The companies that wait until everybody else has it before taking the leap will suffer. While it is impossible to list specific future Internet-based vendor services, it's easy to determine what progressive companies plan to do in the next few years.