Information technology (IT) has the potential to transform healthcare as it has transformed many parts of our economy and society in recent decades. Despite this great promise, the impact of IT on healthcare over the past decade has so far been modest. Compared to other industrialised nations, the United States lags far behind in the use of electronic health records. This book examines how health information technology could improve the quality of healthcare and reduce its cost, and whether existing Federal efforts in health information technology are optimised for these goals.