The big data syndrome – Why the Economic Payoff From Technology Is So Elusive – The New York Times

One place to look at this disconnect is in the doctor’s office. Dr. Peter Sutherland, a family physician in Tennessee, made the shift to computerized patient records from paper in the last few years. There are benefits to using electronic health records, Dr. Sutherland says, but grappling with the software and new reporting requirements has slowed him down. He sees fewer patients, and his income has slipped.

“I’m working harder and getting a little less,” he said.

Working harder and getting a little less. Sounds like a general malaise that is applicable to much more than computerized medical records or even healthcare in general. Let’s go with the whole damn economy. I dub it the “big data syndrome.”

Hey….

Only 18 percent of the American economy is living up to its “digital potential,” the report concluded. And if lagging industries do not catch up, we will not see much of a change in national economic statistics, said James Manyika, a director of the McKinsey Global Institute.

Digital potential, I like that too.