It’s no surprise for NCCFH readers that Amazon is making waves in the healthcare space. We’ve written before about Amazon’s move to buy PillPack and offer physicians on site for their corporate office. A recent data survey among healthcare industry leaders shows that Amazon is far ahead of other tech companies when it comes to disruption potential. Meaning that we’ll see Amazon continue to make waves – and more – in the future.
“To gauge where the future lies in health IT, the researchers surveyed close to 100 healthcare leaders, 80% of whom were in the C-suite. Nearly half of the respondents worked in hospitals.
‘(Amazon is) ahead of the game in many ways compared to the other companies,’ one executive said. Just in the past year, the company has announced a joint venture with J.P. Morgan and Berkshire Hathaway to create a new healthcare company to address employee healthcare issues, forged a partnership with blockchain platform Ethereum and signed a definitive agreement to acquire online pharmacy PillPack.”
These developments may be something other tech companies will seek to imitate. The area of telehealth is another strong contender for a healthcare disrupter.
We recently shared that millennials have embraced telemedicine for care, with 40 percent of millennials (the generation born between 1981 and 1997) reporting in a survey that telehealth is an “extremely or very important option” when it comes to their care.
“In the area of emerging technologies, telemedicine is generating the most buzz. Roughly three in 10 healthcare leaders believe virtual care will have the biggest impact on how care is delivered, and nearly three-fourths said they are already using telemedicine. Other technologies execs are watching include artificial intelligence (20%), interoperability (15%), data analytics (13%) and mobile data (11%). Smaller numbers were also excited about advances in data security, the cloud and blockchain.
Yet despite strong interest in telehealth, most providers still see it largely as a source of healthcare for rural areas and follow-up care, managing specific patient populations. And half of respondents said it was financially neutral for their organizations. Just 14% saw a boost in financial performance as a result of telehealth programs.
Adoption of AI, while promising in healthcare, has been slow. More than two-thirds of respondents believe AI is important, but only 15% are within one to two years of adopting it. To sell hospitals on the technology, vendors will need to offer tools that facilitate workflow and integrate well with existing systems, according to the report.
Finally, the report suggests continued consolidation and vertical integration as organizations adjust to the changing healthcare environment and consumer demand. In all, 40% of hospitals and other provider organizations said they are seriously weighing some type of M&A [mergers and acquisitions] activity in the next few years.“
For more on this data, visit Reaction Data Survey Healthcare Disruption or HealthDive.com.
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