The more wired the hospital, the better off its patients: there are fewer deaths and complications, and lower bills. That’s the conclusion of a large study of Texas hospitals released earlier this week.

Unfortunately, only a small percentage of hospitals and doctors’ offices in the United States are wired, and the country lags far behind other developed nations in implementing such systems.

However, legislators and health-technology specialists hope to change that with a $20 billion cash influx, dubbed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.