Dec 13
2014
PwC’s Health Research Institute Announces Top Health Industry Issues of 2015
In its annual top health industry issues of 2015 report, PwC’s Health Research Institute (HRI) anticipates that the $2.8 trillion U.S. healthcare sector will start feeling like a true market. HRI’s report explores the top 10 trends that are expected to shape the sector in 2015, including the expansion of do-it-yourself healthcare, how industry will adapt to the newly insured, and consumers’ competing desires for convenience and privacy. Top health industry issues of 2015 include insights from a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers and interviews with health industry leaders.
“With consumers leading the way, bearing more costs and making more decisions, change is erupting throughout the health industry,” said Kelly Barnes, PwC’s U.S. health industries leader. “Established healthcare companies and new entrants are rapidly developing cost-efficient products and services tailored directly to consumers.”
HRI’s top 10 issues for the health industry in the year ahead:
1. Do-it-yourself healthcare
U.S. physicians and consumers are ready to embrace a dramatic expansion of the high-tech, personal medical kit. Wearable tech, smartphone-linked devices and mobile apps will become increasingly valuable in care delivery.
2. Making the leap from mobile app to medical device
A proliferation of approved and portable medical devices in patients’ homes, and on their phones, makes diagnosis and treatment more convenient, redoubling the need for strong information security systems.