2017 Healthcare Trends. A look into the Top 5 Healthcare Trends for 2017 from www.klara.com. Manage your healthcare practice operations efficiently and prepare for the future with this analysis of the top healthcare trends predicted for 2017. Technology is a key theme in this report.

1. Top 5 Healthcare Trends for 2017
2016 has seen what can best be described for many of us — unpredictable. We
can, however, rely on trends to give us insight into the elements of our lives we can
plan for. The keen business man or woman, physician or COO, can prepare ahead
by analyzing the forces that be, influencing market trends, preferences and
expectations for managers, staff and customers.
The healthcare industry is no acceptation when it comes to sensitivity market
trends amid the climate of increased competition, regulations and administrative
headaches. Looking forward, we’ve put together the top 5 healthcare trends to
better prepare your decision making for the year ahead. The following trends are
from PWC research:

2. 1. An ageing population and growing middle
class are shifting healthcare needs and
responses.
According to the United Nations, the world’s
population is expected to increase by one billion
people by 2025. Of that billion, 300 million will be
people aged 65 or older, as life expectancy around
the globe continues to rise. long-term care and
chronic disease management services will be in
higher demand for this rapidly growing senior
population. Advances in mHealth and population
health technologies will need to increase to meet
this growing demand.

3. 2. Costly chronic care needs are growing and
exerting considerable demand on health
systems.
According to the World Health Organization,
chronic disease prevalence is expected to rise by
57% by the year 2020. Emerging markets will be
hardest hit, as population growth is anticipated be
most significant in developing nations. Increased
demand on healthcare systems due to chronic
disease has become a major concern.

4. 2. Costly chronic care needs are growing and
exerting considerable demand on health systems.
New delivery models are emerging to address growing
chronic care demands. Technology has a key role to
play. The healthcare industry will need to focus on
interoperability and flexibility in patient-centered care.
With more members in the population in need of
chronic care management, these individuals will need
flexible ways to manage their care in their own time.
Transferring some of the responsibility off of the
industry, onto the shoulders of the individual (regarding
their personal care management), will provide
transparency, autonomy and feasibly boost care
outcomes. People will be engaged with their health.

5. 3. Facing healthcare funding challenges and a
skilled labour shortage.
Governments as well as private practices and
public institutions are facing funding, resource and
staffing problems (not to mention doctors are
continuing to experience burnout at alarming
rates). New business models that focus on
collaboration and transparency are being built to
combat these factors. Public-private partnerships,
for example, offer the benefits of long-term cost
savings and the achievement of clear quality
benchmarks.

6. 3. Facing healthcare funding challenges and a
skilled labour shortage.
Technology also has the potential to create
sustainable positive change in the face of this
climate. By integrating technology, health systems
can achieve greater value in clinical services, more
patient adherence and better outcomes; however,
for technology to be effective at offsetting the
human resource shortage, it has to be easy for
busy professionals to use and produce reliable
results.

7. 4. Consumer skepticism is fuelling a rise in DIY
and non-traditional care services.
Consumers are demonstrating a lack of trust in
traditional health systems. They are increasingly
willing to entrust their health services to non-health
sectors, and the availability of technology is giving
them the tools to do so. While technology (as
mentioned previously) can be a positive driver of
change and innovation, the technology must be
credible, relevant and of quality standard enough to
be relied upon for healthcare management. Trust is
key in meeting this challenge.

8. 4. Consumer skepticism is fuelling a rise in DIY
and non-traditional care services.
This increased competition and emphasis on
consumer trust, however, is allowing consumers to
focus on care outcomes and demand quality.
Governments and traditionally slow-moving
healthcare organizations, are now pressured into
providing high-quality services (and technology
options) to meet consumer demands. This idea of
meeting consumer demands has previously not
been associated with the healthcare industry.

9. 5. More demanding and discerning
consumers are opening doors for new
entrants in healthcare provision.
Similarly to skepticism fueling a rise in "shopping
around" for consumers in the healthcare industry,
these consumers are becoming more informed.
The age of the savvy consumer is in parallel with
the access of open information we find through
the world wide web. As a result, individuals'
preferences are to have access to all information
in an easy, informative manner.

10. 5. More demanding and discerning
consumers are opening doors for new
entrants in healthcare provision.
To meet this demand, we will see an increasing
focus on interconnectivity. The era of patient-
centric health systems is emerging. We are
seeing a general shift away from fragmented
care to integrated models: organisations,
communities and social care providers
coordinating their services, with patients as
active partners in their health across the
continuum. This is an important concept that
organizations and providers must plan for by
creating sustainable business models and
integrating technologies that are conducive
interconnectivity.

11. Meet the Patient-Consumer of 2017
2017 will be the era of the patient-consumer. The healthcare industry must take
notes from emerging transformative business models, technologies and
innovations that have already disrupted other industries. The newspaper industry
was disrupted by digital media, the rental car industry by cars on demand and
even traditional payment methods can be done with the touch of a thumbprint.
Consumers do not identify themselves as patients; rather, they are people
operating within the ecosystems of their lives. We must treat people as people,
consumers and consumers, and treat their experiences as part of a system—
rather than a few lines on a chart.
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