Providers are ramping up to focus on urgent care centers and population health initiatives.
Hospitals are gearing up to spend more on population health and urgent care centers in the coming years, according to new research from two different firms.
The market for population health technologies is expected to reach $69 billion by 2025 while the urgent care center space is forecasted to grow by roughly $8 billion in 2018 to $25.93 billion by 2023.
The global population health management market was worth $118.5 million in 2016 and is slated to grow at a CAGR of roughly 16 percent from 2017 to 2025, with the rise in demand for innovative technologies and adoption of healthcare IT tools fueling the growth, Transparency Market Research said in a new report.
In terms of end-users, it’s the healthcare provider segment of the market that is expected to account for the largest share of the global market thanks to rising use of PHM tools. Insurers, pharma and “others” follow in terms of segments.
The benefits of PHM tools like data integration, data analysis, care coordination, and lowering care costs have driven an increase in their adoption, especially in the case of chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases which require identifying high-risk patients and disease management measures.
“This is one of the factors projected to drive the global population health management market during the forecast period,” the report authors wrote. “Developed healthcare IT infrastructure and increase in healthcare IT spending are the other factors anticipated to propel the global market during the forecast period.”
Geographically, North America and Europe are expected to dominate the market thanks to the Affordable Care Act and a rise in healthcare IT spending, owing largely to providers.
“Well-established healthcare infrastructure and strong support from public and private sectors in terms of reimbursement are attributed to the largest market share of North America,” the firm said. “A rise in awareness about population health and government initiatives such as the Affordable Care Act are anticipated to drive the market during the forecast period.”
Urgent Care Centers, meanwhile, will represent a $26 billion market by 2023, and in this year will reach just over $20 billion, ReportsnReports projected. Health systems and corporations with a stake in the healthcare industry know the model is flourishing thanks to affordable pricing, shorter wait times, an increasing elderly population, and the market is seeing more investment activity as well as strategic development partnerships between urgent care providers and hospitals. Corporate-owned urgent care centers, however, are expected to occupy the largest share of this market in 2018.
Concentra, MedExpress, American Family Care, NextCare Holdings, and FastMed Urgent Care are already major market players with CareNow Urgent Care, GoHealth Urgent Care starting to gain more of a presence as well in the United States.
Health systems looking to diversify their portfolios might do well to look at both urgent care centers and population health programs when considering how to expand their footprints. With a reputation for faster service and better pricing, both things that the rising millennial population smile at, they could be a beacon for both primary and specialty care for younger consumers as opposed to traditional practices. Additionally, with the high-deductible health plans, reasonably priced care will be especially attractive to patients who will bear a greater portion of the financial responsibility related to their care.
As these facilities grow in popularity, including them could boost not only your reputation but also your bottom line.
HENRY KOTULA 