(eWeek) The United States lags far behind other countries in its adoption and funding of health IT, according to a study published in the May/June issue of Health Affairs. At the same time, the United States pays much more per person for health care than other rich countries do.

While governments usually pay for health IT in other developed countries, the report says, the United States has relied on the private sector, particularly health insurers. The result, according to the report, is that "the United States lags as much as a dozen years behind other industrialized countries in HIT adoption.

See Report: U.S. Lags in Health IT