Technology to Cure the System

Oct.18, 2006— -- Many experts say what America really needs to do to fix its ailing health care system is not spend more money but spend the money it already have more wisely.

But what does that mean?

One way to spend more wisely is to reduce administrative costs. Many hospitals in the United States have created programs to do that.

Partners Health Care is an integrative hospital network in Boston, Mass. Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital started the network in 1994. An integrative health system is one that lets patients see a primary care doctor and other health care providers, like a social worker or physical therapist, in the same network.

All those doctors work together to care for one patient. We recently spent time talking to the doctors and nurses at some of the hospitals in the Partners network, and asked them what they were doing to change how health care is delivered in America.

One of the major initiatives that the Brigham and Women's Hospital has undertaken is switching from paper to electronic medical records.

"The electronic medical records are a tremendous aid, enabling me to take the best care of my patients. I have all the information at my fingertips," says Dr. Jessica Dudley, a Brigham and Women's internist.

Dudley can easily know whether her patient is also going to another clinic or to another hospital.

And when Dudley needs to review any test results or images, the pictures are all right in front of her.

"I can actually pull up the X-ray -- the real thing," Dudley says.