Hospitals focus their IT systems on addressing the reporting requirements of Medicare and Medicaid, because so much more of their income comes through those cha

Hospitals focus their IT systems on addressing the reporting requirements of Medicare and Medicaid, because so much more of their income comes through those channels than any other, and the reporting requirements are so onerous that they can't be met any other way. By way of contrast (although this is only a single anecdote), my dentist's automation is clearly much more efficient, and is very effective in streamlining his operations. Digital xrays feed directly into the database, and become immediately available for viewing on the monitor even before a conventional xray would be developed -- and are always instantly retrievable from the DB. IMHO, this is because the field of dentistry is less driven by an 800-lb gorilla, and more dependent on meeting patient needs and budgets.