Waste feared in digitizing patient records

President Barack Obama has pledged to use technology to raise healthcare's quality and lower costs, but many in the field warn that rushing the process of digitizing patients' records could lead to wasteful spending. House Democrats recently unveiled a fiscal-stimulus bill that includes $20 billion for healthcare information technology. "In some ways I am thrilled, because IT will need federal help," said John Glaser, chief information officer for Boston-based Partners HealthCare. "But you can bring in too much money too fast and not only waste it, but set us back."