Congress will clear the path for electronic medical records.(Brief Article)

KiplingerForecasts, December, 2005

Giving Uncle Sam the authority to set uniform national standards will remove the biggest obstacle to broad use of electronic records. Unless health care providers are sure their systems will be compatible with systems operated by insurers, pharmacies and other health care providers, they won't make the necessary investment.

Going electronic will yield some big savings: $140 billion a year, eliminating duplicative testing and unnecessary treatments and helping to speed accurate diagnoses. By flagging drug allergies and potentially dangerous drug interactions, easily accessed medical records will also mean fewer deaths.

Lawmakers will also help cash-strapped health care providers plug in with grants and/or loans to buy systems and set up online file sharing.