Pressures on the US healthcare system coupled with evolving consumer expectations have fueled the appetite for funding of digital healthcare startups and have ushered in a new era of industry innovation. A digital disruption in healthcare is being played out, as witnessed by the emergence of new business models and technology offerings that change social interactions, alter consumer expectations and ultimately improve health outcomes.
Billions of dollars are being poured into healthcare companies that combine Social, Mobile, Analytics, Cloud and Sensor technologies (SMACS), with leading companies aiming to link both products (e.g., “wearables”) and services (e.g., clinical advice lines). According to Accenture Health research, digital health funding grew at an annual rate of 31 percent from 2008 to 2013, culminating in $2.8 billion total funding in 2013.
The following infographic from Accenture illustrates how clinical and consumer design principles are colliding to create a new era of digital health solutions.
