Group Health's massive investment in information systems approached $100 million and entailed the installation and interconnection of 3,000 desktop computers. It reflected what Chief Executive Officer Phil Nudelman called an evolution from "bricks to bytes" (Crowley, 230).
Information technologies have direct consequences for the quality of healthcare, particularly in advancing Group Health's quest for a more rigorously empirical medicine. Family practice doctor Matt Handley explained that "Evidence-based care asks, How can we best organize the information about the risks and benefits of treatment so that providers and patients can make reasonable decisions about the best care for that patient?" (Crowley, 230).
Finding the answer demands the management of huge quantities of data to evaluate how patients respond to particular treatments, as well as ongoing review and analysis of articles and reports in the current medical literature. This information is then translated into "clinical pathways" to guide staff in delivering care that has been scientifically proven effective.
Group Health's information systems have given its physicians powerful tools in firming up clinical knowledge and in establishing the cooperative's national reputation for the development of evidence-based protocols.
And, efficient data management has enabled Group Health to keep administrative costs to a minimum. Group Health delivers a record 91.5 cents in service for every dollar received -- compared to 70 cents achieved by most for-profit HMOs.
