Information Technology in the Rural Setting: Challenges and More Challenges

Abstract
In this issue, Ohsfeldt and colleagues1 estimate the financial cost that would be incurred by all hospitals in Iowa if they implemented computerized physician order entry (CPOE). Small hospitals (defined as fewer than 200 beds) account for 70% of nonfederal, general, short-term hospitals.2 The estimates of Ohsfeldt et al. add to a growing literature describing the financial and administrative burdens incurred when modernizing the information technology infrastructure of the small hospital.3,4 For many of these institutions, lower revenues, higher costs, and poor access to capital combine to make the necessary investment in information systems unrealistic.

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