Who's counting now? ROI for patient safety IT initiatives.

The impact and expectation of cost-justifying patient safety IT initiatives using a traditional ROI must evolve to focus beyond the financial benefit. It must encompass overall patient safety, patient satisfaction, and employee and physician satisfaction benefit categories. Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and bar code medication administration (BCMA) systems are two particular clinical point-of-care products that will play a key role in addressing patient safety objectives. Integrating the two technologies can bring both financial and clinical benefits.