Practice computerization: hints and suggestions.

Abstract

Roughly 13 percent of United States physicians in private practice own microcomputers and use them to manage their offices. This is an increase of nearly 8 percent in just five years. At this rate, 20 percent of physicians will own computers by the end of the decade. The consensus is that the pressures of costs, regulations, and competition render a simple manual ledger ineffective. A ledger cannot provide an alert to recall a patient, summarize financial data, nor produce medical reports for regulatory agencies. Consequently, to remain successful in the 90s, more physicians are turning to microcomputers to "manage" their practices more efficiently.