Healthcare IT Shows Real Promise, Says Study
Posted 01/21/10
The study, Rebuilding Healthcare Infrastructure: What's In It For Us?, will be available this month to equipment finance companies seeking new opportunities in the healthcare market. Produced for the Foundation by Cindy Eddins Collier, of Healthcare Valuation Solutions, this study shows that healthcare may be a bright spot in today’s market news.
In fact, the study’s introduction says “2010 may be the most exciting year yet in terms of healthcare information technology in the United States.”Many factors are impacting the unprecedented pace at which healthcare IT is developing, which is influenced by:
- Providers, consumers and payers demanding more cost effective, quality and productive healthcare;
- Access to meaningful healthcare information and transparency being required by regulators, as well as, providers and consumers;
- Developments in clinical applications and capabilities now allowing the nation to improve, measure, and communicate improvements in patient care; and
- A renewed national focus on healthcare reform and government incentives for the meaningful use and management of healthcare information.
But, the market also is “huge, challenging, complex” while being “potentially, extremely rewarding for healthcare leasing and finance organizations,” says the study.
This new Foundation study outlines the factors supporting this market growth and the types of organizations within the healthcare market that are experiencing the fastest changes.
Additionally, it surmises that technology is the key to increased productivity in the healthcare industry, which will increase the supply of healthcare in the face of growing demand and lower its cost. While in the past, technology has been a driver of increased costs, today, many new technologies actually provide significant cost savings while improving the quality of health care. The study also points out that government will be the central player in healthcare.
Notably, the study reports, “the critical element in improving the productivity of the healthcare industry and restraining its cost growth is capital investment in productivity improving technology that will substitute capital for labor…macro-trends indicate a substantial increase in capital expenditures by healthcare organizations.”
These suppositions and more are outlined in great detail in this length study. Watch future issues of Foundation Forecasts for updates or visit the Foundation library often for the latest information on this study and others.
