Browsing and Automatically Extracting Healthcare Data from Scattered Databases

Healthcare directives in the mid-1990s called for a reduction in cost and an improvement in the quality and efficiency of healthcare. Making these changes critically depended on convenient access to and the integration of detailed administrative, financial, and clinical data. Although sophisticated databases had been developed for each function, the lack of interoperability made it impossible to integrate data from various databases in the campaign to manage rising healthcare costs. The capability to browse and extract data from a multitude of databases would provide access to comprehensive, accurate information, while improving the overall quality of patient care and lowering costs through time savings and easily accessible resources.