By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: HIMSS14: The IT Market and US Healthcare – Big and Getting Bigger
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > HIMSS14: The IT Market and US Healthcare – Big and Getting Bigger
BusinessTechnology

HIMSS14: The IT Market and US Healthcare – Big and Getting Bigger

Steve Goldstein
Steve Goldstein
Share
3 Min Read
healthcare IT
SHARE

healthcare IT

healthcare IT

I hope you were as interested as I was in the whys and wherefores of the dominance of the United States in the healthcare IT market; I wanted to hear more — and now you will, too. I spoke with Andy Flanagan, a Senior Vice President at Siemens charged with growing the healthcare IT business in America and a refreshingly candid fellow. He was hanging out at the busy Siemens booth at HIMSS14 here in Orlando.

“We’re in a unique situation,” he began. “Our healthcare costs per capita are essentially double that of any other average country. Everyone is trying to reduce costs and still have a positive outcome. We have huge inefficiencies; 30 percent of what is spent on healthcare is waste.”

More Read

4 Key Tips To Make Your Medical Practice More Profitable
Ideal Medtech Products
What Are the Benefits of Attending Medical Sales College?
Health IT, Necessary But Not Sufficient: A HiMSS14 Interview with Farzad Mostashari
4 Level of Care Tools: Comparing Level of Care Assessment

Flanagan said our reliance on healthcare IT is being driven by the consumer and the patient, as in other industries. “IT is a defense mechanism for the delivery model to get more efficient,” he continued. “Hospitals aren’t implementing IT just to reduce costs. They are doing it because of external pressure to serve the patient better, to retain the patient and to survive as a delivery system. Cost is a byproduct of achieving better outcomes. The goal is excellence.”

So, whither the IT market? “It’s going to continue to grow,” said Flanagan. “Most processes in hospitals, in ambulatory settings remain paper-based. IT expansion will continue for another decade.” Some of the technology will be disruptive, he said, radically altering the status quo. “It’s the merging of technology, one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy, with healthcare representing 17 percent of our GDP. You put those two together and the healthcare IT market is going to be a focal point for 10 years.”

As for where IT innovation will take us, Flanagan said “you’re going to see hospitals communicate seamlessly. You’re going to see your smart phone, your smart watch serve data and receive data in a highly personalized fashion. The patient will become effectively the center of the IT world.

“We’re going to see IT become self-aware,” he said, eerily echoing the evolution of the HAL computer in the classic 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. “In fact, we’re already doing it with Fitbit. Permission-based awareness will continue.”

Flanagan said the crowds around the Siemens booth testified to the fact that his customers know this is coming. He has a 15-year history at HIMSS and I asked him when things tipped for IT. “When doctors started valuing technology beyond the machine — in some cases, when it revolved around billing and getting paid faster — that probably was the beginning,” Flanagan said.

Set your smart watch — time to embrace healthcare IT.

(health IT / shutterstock)

TAGGED:healthcare ITHIMSS 2014Siemens
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025
AI in Healthcare
AI in Healthcare: Technology is Transforming the Global Landscape
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
October 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Swimwear for Health and Safety
News
September 30, 2025
sports concussions
Concussion In Sports: How Common They Are And What You Need To Know
Infographics
September 28, 2025

You Might also Like

healthcare IT shortage
Technology

The Looming Crisis in Healthcare IT

September 4, 2013

Research on Focused Ultrasound and Fertility Receives International Honor

September 22, 2011
eHealthGlobal HealthcareHealth ReformMedical InnovationsMobile HealthNewsTechnology

How a New Patient Experience Model Will Drive the Future of Connected Healthcare?

July 10, 2018
obamacare implementation
BusinessHealth ReformPolicy & LawPublic Health

Making Sense of the Technical Difficulties in ObamaCare Implementation

October 9, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?