Health care executive's guidebook to automation in the 1980s: health care information systems and DRGs.

The key to effective decision-making in health care institutions--now and in the future--is data: accurate, reliable, well-understood information about your patients and about your institution's operations. Much of the data you need for decision support are now available in your financial, patient information, and departmental systems. To put it to work in ways that will meet the challenges of the 1980s, you need to develop more effective ways to use this information. A decision-support system requires, above all, integrated data, flexible access, and the capability to extract and summarize relevant information from a mass of detail. Effective decision-support systems require powerful hardware and sophisticated software. Even more, they require planning and self-education on your part. You must understand your current system and your future needs. You must also educate yourself about the computer market-place and the many systems options available to you. Read books and magazines, attend conferences, contact vendors. Above all, talk to users of any system you are considering for your institution. The resources in this Guidebook can start you on your way.