Every lawyer and law teacher is familiar with the basic developments in computer-assisted legal research that have changed at least the method of legal research. Computer-assisted research has gone far beyond LEXIS and Westlaw (computerized collections of state and federal legislation and decisions, as well as other legal material) in areas that are of critical importance to effective research for the teacher of health law. The nature of health law research has special, although perhaps not unique, characteristics that are particularly benefited by computer assistance.

Research in health law, especially policy-oriented research, rarely relies entirely on case law. Rather, its reach extends to interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary research, comparative research, and the popular, as well as the scholarly, view. While health law teachers develop the ability to keep abreast of the rapid changes in case law and federal statutes and regulations, it is more difficult to keep pace with legislative developments on a state-bystate basis.