Table 1.

Health Care Information Value Chain Components

Many new vendors of health care information technologies have on their Web sites illustrations demonstrating the complexity of health care services. In addressing complexity, information systems confer value. This complexity encompasses many steps, including:

Determination of eligibility Referrals and authorizations Claims submissions Information access and reporting Membership management Care management Results reporting Claims management Practice management, premium billing, capitation/risk pools, claims processing Scheduling and demand management Group purchasing and integrated supply chain management Health risk appraisals and wellness education Secure e-mail