When it comes to information systems, too often the blind lead the blind.

A new survey of health care systems' chief information officers (CIOs) indicates that most are not able to collect the cost information they need to make decisions. Some 60% admit that they cannot calculate whether their managed care contracts are profitable or not. While 70% of these organizations benchmark other health care organizations, only 8% go outside the industry. Leading health system CIOs and benchmarking experts say systems managers must benchmark outside the health care industry if they want current and competitive information technology.