In the Ecosystm Predicts: The Top 5 Healthcare Trends in 2022 we have said that 2022 will be the year when we start seeing the second-order impacts of the pandemic and we will see healthcare providers address these impacts. This means an increase in tech adoption and a greater (and in some cases, renewed) interest in tech providers to focus on the Healthcare industry.
Last month, we saw announcements of Francisco Partners acquiring the healthcare data and analytics assets from the IBM Watson Health business unit. This was neither unexpected nor an isolated news – it follows a series of significant Healthcare tech news from last year.
Here are some announcements from 2021 that I feel give us an indication of where the Healthcare tech market is headed.
- Oracle’s acquisition of Cerner
- Microsoft’s continued focus on Healthcare with the Nuance acquisition
- The acquisition of athenahealth by private equity firms
- Examples of the focus on mental health such as the creation of Headspace Health
- The interest of consumer apps in Healthcare as witnessed by Peloton’s corporate wellness programme.
Read on to find out more about these announcements. And let me know what you think is the most interesting Healthcare tech announcement in the last year.
Download “Where is Healthcare Tech Headed?” slides as a PDF.
The Healthcare industry has achieved much in the last two years, despite all the struggles and pivots. However, the impact of COVID-19 on the industry is far from over.
2020 was focused on finding a vaccine against the virus, setting treatment protocols, and workforce management to handle the emergency. 2021 was focused on vaccine distribution and administration. 2022 will be the year when we start seeing the second-order impacts of the pandemic – and see healthcare providers address these impacts.
In 2022 the key drivers of the ongoing transformation in Healthcare will be:
- Patients. Improved self-knowledge and ownership of personal health outcomes and data
- Technology. Widespread availability and adoption of digital and cognitive technologies
- Employees. The ongoing challenges of clinical and administrative staff
- The Life Sciences Industry. The recent investments in, and success of the sector
- Policy Makers. The sharp increase in focus on population health
- Continued Uncertainty. Around challenges such as new virus strains, anti-vaccine protests, supply chain disruptions etc.
Read on to find out what Ecosystm Analysts Amit Rana, Krish Krishnan, and Sash Mukherjee think are the key achievements of the industry and the future trends in 2022 and beyond.
