The Department of Health and Human Services has provided billions of dollars in incentive payments to doctors and hospitals to drive the adoption of health information technologies, such as electronic health records systems. In light of the success of the health IT, some doctors still harbor concerns that the push for digitizing medical records might bring a wave of technology-induced medical errors. In response to the concerns, the Department requested a study that would specifically focus on health IT adoption and the safety performance of electronic health records.

An Institute of Medicine committee issued a report in response, which acknowledges that safety risks need to be considered when developing and implementing healthcare technologies, but should be done without hindering innovation or slowing the adoption of electronic health records. The goal of moving from traditional record keeping methods to a computerized patient system is to improve patient care and curb healthcare costs. "There are safety issues, but we believe that on average, health information technology improves patient safety," said Dr. Ashich Jha, a member of the panel.

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