Information technologies have been substantiated and found to be invaluable in preventing health care errors and improving the outcome of health care (e.g., physician order entry; computerized patient education). These technologies are cost-effective, yet they are not reimbursed and their business value is often questioned. There is significant confusion regarding the adequate demonstration of the clinical value of information services to justify reimbursement. Lack of financial reimbursement works as a disincentive to the development and utilization of information technologies while this very fact, the limited use of these technologies, is the cause of insufficient evidence of their effectiveness, a condition for reimbursement. Recognition of this vicious cycle and a need to create a break in this cycle has led to this dialog initiative on health care information technologies. The purpose of this book is to explain the process of health information technology transfer and to advance the business case for existing as well as innovative technologies that improve health outcomes and patient safety. As a combined treasure of the best knowledge, expertise and experience in the field of health care information technologies, the authors help us identify possible solutions to economic, structural, legal, cultural, and institutional barriers in the use of information technologies to provide safe and accessible healthcare to all, especially to the underserved populations. They represent professionals from clinical areas, health care management, law, finance, payer institutions, information technology industry, government and health services research to discuss how innovative information technologies can become widely applied to clinical and business solutions. The book is divided into three sections, each consisting of six chapters around the section theme. The first section, Health Information Technology: A Business Perspective, sets the stage for business models of information technology and encourages one to look at health information technologies from a business perspective. The authors in the second section discuss how information technology offers cost-effective solutions to benefit all those in need of health care. The third section consists of chapters that provide real world examples of how health care information technologies are helping patients, especially those residing in hard-to-reach remote locations, receive care and education in a timely manner, and how health care providers can receive continuous medical education through distance learning. The collection of these chapters represents a diverse set of viewpoints and experiences about information technologies in health care, barriers to their development and implementation, and strategies to overcome these barriers. It is evident that the necessary hardware and infrastructure, communication protocols, vocabularies, and other essential standards need to be in place for cost-effective interaction among various points of health care delivery. However, the ultimate beneficiaries of all health care interventions are people, especially those seeking care and hoping to achieve a better quality of life. We wil l need to keep peopl e as a critical variable in the equation that computes cost-effectiveness of information technologies in health care. The Center for Health Care Quality at the University of Missouri-Columbia in collaboration with the School of Public Health at Saint Louis University and Quality Improvement Working Group of the American Medical Informatics Associationconvened a two-day conference in Columbia, Missouri, in May 2002. This book comes out of the conference "Business Models for Health Information Technology: An EU/US Dialogue" held at the University of Missouri-Columbia, May 14-15, 2002.