Electronic data interchange in hospital materiel management

The survey findings reported here support the continued trend toward increasing application of computer linkages in hospital operations. A majority of the hospitals surveyed already had some sort of computer linkages with their suppliers, possibly an EOE system. There were strong indications of expanding computer linkages to other health care institutions, financial institutions, business partners (i.e., insurance companies), purchasing groups, supporting agencies (i.e., libraries, research laboratories, and counseling agencies), electronic mail, and patient billing. Private hospitals, especially nonprofit hospitals, were more aggressive in the implementation of computer linkages. The initial costs of electronic linkage systems seemed to be affordable, or well justified, as indicated by the relatively large number of medium-size hospitals already linked electronically to other institutions. Top management attention was positively related to the implementation of computer linkages to suppliers but played a lesser role in establishing other types of linkages. The overall optimism concerning future expansion of computer linkages suggests an increasingly important role for electronic linkages in materiel management.