Standard hospital hardware and software solutions, especially electronic health records, can cost billions of dollars and place incredible demands on data centers and the people who oversee them. Despite the fact that the purpose of these systems is to advance information flow across health care, they too often are "closed," a situation that few people appreciate. Meaning, data cannot be accessed and used by hospitals, providers, or patients as they see fit. While other industries are flourishing as a result of advances in data access and information flow, and consumer and social technology, health care lags. [Subscription Required]
