Global Digital Health Outlook, 2020

This study predicts the ways that artificial intelligence, care coordination cybersecurity, data analytics, digital therapeutics, and telehealth will drive the digital health market in 2020. The report presents 9 predictions that are likely to prevail by 2020. Frost & Sullivan defines digital health as the application of data to the delivery of healthcare, using computational and telecommunications technologies, to support business process workflow, clinical workflow, and patient data management. The goal of digital health is to achieve better patient outcomes while improving efficiency and containing costs. Digital health is multidisciplinary, but primarily focuses on three domains: health process automation, patient engagement, and mobility. The study reflects on progress by innovative digital health solutions to leverage cloud-based IT to capitalize on the vast new resources of clinical, financial, socioeconomic, and other data generated across the health ecosystem. Patient information is captured by electronic health records (EHRs), connected medical devices, and smartphones. The predictions are important to all healthcare providers, payers, patients, caregivers, and investors because they provide a view of the ways that robust data sets can be used to develop new insights that can improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare and enable new, innovative IT solutions, to engage consumers. Frost & Sullivan is confident that digital health solutions offer great promise for new care delivery models, expanded access, improved outcomes and efficiency, and, ultimately, greater value to all stakeholders. The predictions apply to global healthcare markets. Frost & Sullivan’s team of expert analysts predict that healthcare will evolve from an IT market that was composed primarily of revenue associated with EHR and billing systems and services to a market that is increasingly incorporating advanced technologies such as analytics, cybersecurity, telemedicine, and other specialty areas such as femtech and IT-enabled employee health management. Predictions include expected breakthroughs in AI, cybersecurity, digital therapeutics, remote patient monitoring, femtech, Big Data, IT-enabled employee health management, telehealth, and data analytics. For example, this outlook emphasizes the importance of cybersecurity to protect solutions across the global healthcare market. The research was based on the findings of an expert team of analysts that noted several recurring themes visible across all global markets. These include an aging population, a rising prevalence of chronic diseases, anticipated medical staff shortages, long wait times (both to get appointments and in crowded offices), universal concerns about quality of care, and the need for a common technical platform.Evolving technologies that are covered include facial recognition, blockchains, cloud computing services, natural language processing, interactive virtual assistants, AI, and 5G wireless networks. The report concludes that digital health is a growing, but complex market. This space will enjoy overall 5-year compound annual growth rate of 12% (2018-2023). Author: Victor Camlek