The convergence of new technologies and new business requirements is heralding a new type of healthcare and life science enterprise. Value-based care is changing the way the two industries look at their operations, resources, and relationships.
The focus on patient value is taking healthcare and life science organizations closer to patients, thanks to:
- Greater personalization of services and products
- Better integration along the patient journey
Pursuing personalization and integration requires organizations to embrace a new health information paradigm. Health information needs to be secure, granular, real time, and context relevant.
We call this the “Patient of One” paradigm — a 360-degree view of the patient, aimed at providing the necessary insights to improve outcomes and experiences. This will lead to an evidence-driven culture that will permeate healthcare and life sciences, and enrich and reshape the way organizations are run.
The Patient of One is also the overarching theme of our new report series on key trends for 2020 for European healthcare systems, hospitals, and life sciences and pharma. The reports investigate specific trends and market dynamics, highlighting the common strategies of healthcare and life science organizations pursuing a Patient of One vision.
A New Patient Value Led Scenario
According to IDC research, patient engagement and experience is the top business priority in 2020 for 60% of European healthcare providers and 55% of European life science organizations. Healthcare and life sciences are building new and wider ecosystems to create new services and products. To increase patient value, they are focusing on new integrated models.
This fosters the deployment of population health management initiatives. These encourage the use of real-world evidence for improved management of health needs. This need to leverage a wider range of health determinants is driving investments in new infrastructures and data hub projects. Increasingly, these infrastructures are also supporting activities such as clinical research and pharmacovigilance.
Ensuring the Right Conditions for the Workforce to Excel
To innovate, the way they interact with patients and partners, healthcare and life science organizations need to ensure that their workforce has the right conditions to excel. The “future of workforce” requires organizations to:
- Enable new skills and experiences
- Leverage human-machine collaboration
- Support a dynamic environment unrestricted by time or physical space
IDC surveys show that a quarter of European healthcare organizations are investing in AI for RPA and predictive workforce management. At the same time, 24% of European life science organizations are using AI and robotics to augment workers’ capabilities.
European hospitals are looking to make their operations more efficient, leveraging IT-OT convergence and exploring opportunities to seamlessly integrate department operations and IT architecture. Some organizations are already in the next stage of innovation, leveraging IoT for new business models and paving the way to “hospital digital twin” models.
Better Decisions Demand Better Information Management and Governance
A clear strategy for information management and governance is a key enabler to integrate internal and external data streams and turn them into decisions and actions.
Data quality and reliability depend on a strong focus on interoperability, information life-cycle management, security, and regulatory compliance. This will enable innovation to flourish, while ensuring compliance and patient safety. A coherent approach here will create a solid foundation to maximize information potential, with a good information management framework enabling organizations to:
- Expand digital platforms beyond a conventional layered architecture
- Combine and scale next-generation solutions across and outside the organization
The Future of Leadership
To guide this transformative journey, European healthcare and life science leaders need to champion an evidence-based culture. The ability to combine single process optimization and the broader goal of patient value will be a fundamental differentiator in 2020.
Most forward-looking organizations are already adopting systems that measure the alignment of their digital initiatives with business goals. IDC surveys show that 36% of European life science organizations have started using new metrics to assess the impact of digital investments on the creation of customer value across the value chain.