From yesterday's

NY Times:

Eight of the nation's largest technology companies, including I.B.M., Microsoft and Oracle, have agreed to embrace open, nonproprietary technology standards as the software building blocks for a national health information network.

The Bush administration has said that creating such a network should be a national priority over the next several years. The goal is to improve care and reduce costs by abandoning paper and moving to a digital system for handling patient records, clinical research, claims and payments. Such a network, analysts agree, should save both lives and dollars.

As both a health care consumer and someone who has grown up around doctor's offices, I say hallelujah. The medical industry has been severely lagging others when it comes to good, organized, modern infrastructure. The advent of a national health information network should make a significant difference in the efficiency of health care everywhere. (Via Slashdot)