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Health Ecosystems

In: Computers and Technology

Submitted By kmoronta
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EMPOWERING THE NEW HEALTHCARE ECOSYSTEM

2 EMPOWERING THE NEW HEALTHCARE ECOSYSTEM

Today, the healthcare industry finds itself on the threshold of a new era in which key stakeholders, empowered by technology, are breaking down barriers and redefining what’s possible in medical care. Find out how IT is shaping this new healthcare ecosystem.

A NEW ERA
Never before has the healthcare industry offered so much hope amid so much uncertainty. In the last decade, we have seen the unlocking of the human genome, which has put personalized and predictive medicine within reach for the first time in history. Advances in biomedicine and pharmaceuticals are achieving unprecedented success against formerly intractable diseases. And the next generation of information technology is sparking innovation across the healthcare value chain. Yet we are also living in a time of great economic and social upheaval, with healthcare businesses and organizations contending with extraordinary new financial, demographic, and regulatory pressures. A challenging global economy continues to strain the bottom lines of providers, payers, and pharmaceutical companies - not to mention the businesses and taxpayers who ultimately foot the bill. What’s more, the economics of healthcare are set to become even tougher in the years ahead as aging populations in industrial countries place new demands on both private and public healthcare systems. Tighter finances and thinning margins have made cost cutting and operational efficiency a top priority across the healthcare supply chain. It has also fueled innovation, with stakeholders ranging from hospitals and insurance companies to drug companies and pharmacies learning to exploit “Health IT” to become leaner and more agile without compromising the end goal: patient care. Indeed, Health IT is quickly turning into a competitive differentiator, helping

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