Health IT Headlines for 2018

2018 is already off to a strong start with the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference and StartUp Health Festival making headlines last week. As 2018 progresses, we want to share the trends that we expect to make headlines this year:

• Mega merger and acquisition activity – 2017 was filled with notable M&A activity including CVS and Aetna, Humana and Kindred and Optum and AMGA, to name a few. We expect to see this activity continue throughout 2018 as payers, providers, pharmacies and more look for ways to innovate, meet consumer demands and ultimately improve the quality and cost of care. Bruce Carver, associate vice president of payer services at MedeAnalytics, shares additional thoughts on recent merger activity in our blog.
• Consumerization of healthcare – With consumer-facing companies outside of the traditional healthcare space making moves to enter the industry (like Amazon, Apple and Google), consumer focus is critical. In 2018, this focus will only increase as consumers continue to demand user-friendly and easy to use platforms and interfaces. With all the competition in the industry, healthcare organizations will have to ensure they are keeping the consumer top of mind to stay ahead.
• Emerging technologies, like AI, will take the stage – In 2017, the adoption of AI technology made headlines across all industries, healthcare included, as organizations looked for innovative ways to leverage this new tool. As we head into 2018, companies like Google will continue to lead the pack by working with startups that are focused on finding ways to leverage this technology to improve care. We recently sat down with our CTO, Tyler Downs, to discuss trends in AI in healthcare and to hear how companies can use AI to power data and analytics.
• Clarity around industry uncertainty and policy changes – With the Trump administration and new faces in prominent health IT positions, the industry saw major shifts in 2017. According to a recent poll, healthcare is the one topic keeping both Democrats and Republicans up at night. 2018 will hopefully bring some clarity to the shifting tide as policies get ironed out and the state of Obamacare is decided. Regardless of these policy changes, providing patients with the best quality care should remain the industry’s top priority.

With all the new trends, emerging innovations, policy changes and more, is your organization prepared? Check out our solutions page to learn how MedeAnalytics can help you find success in the new year or contact us for additional information.