While health care reform remains firmly in the sausage-making political process, one component of the plan is rapidly gaining momentum. The movement toward digitizing medical records is well underway as physicians and hospitals make substantial investments to revolutionize the way patient records are maintained. According to a recent Daily Finance report: experts call the lack of communication and coordination among doctors, specialists, and hospital systems one of the biggest problems in our health system.

Between 2004 and 2006, as many as 238,337 deaths in the U.S. were potentially preventable, according to healthcare rating company HealthGrades. Some could have been avoided with electronic health records, which could more easily flag patients with other underlying conditions or who could experience dangerous drug interactions. There have been similar incentive programs to move physicians into the paperless age. In June 2008, Medicare announced a $150 million grant to help 1,200 small physician practices in 12 cities switch to electronic records.

In addition to tapping governmental assistance, many independent physicians are seeking financial help from hospitals to make the costly transition. Healthcare industry attorney Mary Jean Geroulo of Stewart Stimmel LLP in Dallas warns that hospitals must be careful in navigating the federal rules governing the delicate relationships between hospitals and non-employee doctors. "There isn't a one-size-fits-all model for making the transition," she says. "The regulations significantly limit what a hospital can provide as an incentive to a non-employee physician, and the consequences of not complying can be substantial."