For those who question the value of health IT, HIMSS is offering an answer. The association has released a new library that catalogues provider and patient experiences with HIT that it hopes will provide helpful examples and solutions to facilities making the tech transition.

Called the HIMSS Health IT Value Suite, the repository seeks to answer the question many providers ask as they bring more technology into their practices in response to Meaningful Use criteria and other initiatives.

"The HIMSS IT value suite really offers info that physicians want to know about," said Dr. Carol Steltenkamp, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Kentucky, during a live webcast announcing the release. "They're going through what might be considered a painful journey, and it's good to look at those outcomes."

The outcomes fall into categories like patient satisfaction, treatment, and savings, and aim to answer questions regarding outcomes and strategies.

Patients and physicians share stories or data, such as the $3 million reduction in patient costs reported by one hospital in the presentation.

The library currently has hundreds of provider case studies, and HIMSS invites health care professionals to provide more by visiting the HIMSS website.

"Efforts like this one capture what we want to know about what's gong on out there, and start to disseminate that information," said Bryan Sivak, chief technology officer in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, during the webcast. "I think that these use cases are going to further help push this movement as we move forward."

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