The use of technology to automate simple tasks has been widely adopted. E-mails broadcast information in a fraction of the time it would take a manual process. More complex tasks, however, require a human driver, and those tasks are in higher demand today.

When it comes to information technology, the more things change—the more work the CIO has to do. Once out of sight and out of mind in the basement mainframe rooms of corporate America, chief information officers are now sitting at the table in corporate boardrooms.

Physician peer interaction is only a click away thanks to online networking sites.

Employees have been receiving paychecks via direct deposit for almost 40 years. In 2005, there were 4.4 billion direct deposits. Physicians, however, have some catching up to do.

Earlier This Year Susan Andrews, MD, evaluated a broken arm for a long-time patient in her family practice. Without leaving her Memphis office, Dr. Andrews conducted a complete history, assessed the injury and arranged a referral to an orthopedist, even though the patient was actually 2,000 miles away vacationing in the Caribbean.

The benefits of Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) are obvious, and have been for decades. And what better time than now, well into the Information Age, for HIEs to realize their full potential using real-time electronic communications over the Internet? As grant money to fund HIE startups and a national health information network begins to dry up, sustainability has become paramount.

If we are treating healthcare as a commodity, then why not determine its real value? That might be more easily said than done, but as more and more consumers demand transparency in healthcare, payers, providers and pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) are sharing information on the cost of treatments, screenings and drugs.

The goals of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) are hard to argue with. The coalition of employers and physician groups hopes to transform how primary care is organized and financed. It says patients will get better treatment, physician payments will be improved and value will be added for purchasers and consumers by allowing patients' family doctors to coordinate care. That coordination will depend on technology.

Medical Professionals are taking to heart the old saying that necessity is the mother of invention. Now more than ever, they're putting their knowledge and experience to work in developing IT innovation.