Is computerization worth the price? an evaluation of 7 years use of tmr

Pickens Health Center, a university-based, multi-program ambutatory care center, conducted an evaluation of its computer services to determine whether the computerization of medical practice was worth the price. Pickens had implemented TMR, an interactive medical and management information system, in 1977. After seven years of computerization, increasing financial pressures forced Pickens to ask itself whether its programs might be better off financially and operationally if converted back to a manual system. An indepth anaLysis of the use of TMR at Pickens HeaLth Center led to the conclusion that computerization was cost-effective, encouraged high quality medical care and was worth the price.