UK Healthcare IT Matures with Higher Integration and Commercialization of Pilot Projects

- eHealth initiatives will add impetus to the adoption of HCIT, finds Frost & Sullivan

LONDON, March 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Health Service (NHS), along with the Department of Health (DoH) and the UK Government, has set ambitious quality and productivity goals for the healthcare industry. Their keenness to enhance healthcare delivery has attracted significant investments to healthcare IT (HCIT), which, in turn, will help them make optimum and cost-effective use of resources.

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Providers are focusing on electronic health records (EHR), telehealth, ePrescribing, and remote monitoring to achieve cross-border healthcare, long-term management of chronic diseases, and higher patient engagement. Frost & Sullivan's study, National Initiatives Impacting Healthcare Information Technology (HCIT) in the United Kingdom, finds that the per capita healthcare IT expenditure in the UK in 2014 was $43, next only to Sweden and the US. The UK accounts for 30 percent of Europe's HCIT budget.

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Healthcare delivery in the UK is being restructured to improve cohesion among secondary and primary care segments, healthcare professionals and patients. Acknowledging that HCIT solutions have a key role to play in this transition, the Government has increased its budget for HCIT and revamped legal and financial regulations, especially reimbursements.

"Between 2013 and 2020, the European commission proposes to use the Connecting Europe Facility and the European Regional Development Fund to drive healthcare interoperability," said Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Research Analyst Shruthi Parakkal. "Further, several successful pilot projects for HCIT have been carried out since 2010, demonstrating improved outcomes and significant scope for the commercialization of these projects."

The UK's long-term healthcare initiatives have given a boost to HCIT's market penetration. However, the failure of several large investment projects compelled the Government to introduce the eHealth strategy and eHealth 2011-2017 action plan. These initiatives stand out for the shift in focus from a nation-wide strategy to locally-managed solutions.

"The eHealth strategy is expected to enrich collaboration among care segments, facilitate patient centricity, and improve interoperability," noted Parakkal. "The establishment of interoperability standards and amendment of the EU medical-device directive to include HCIT solutions is expected to further accelerate the maturity of HCIT solutions."

National Initiatives Impacting Healthcare Information Technology (HCIT) in the United Kingdom is part of the Connected Health Growth Partnership Service program. Frost & Sullivan's related studies include: Drivers for Healthcare R&D Investment in Asia-Pacific, Optimizing Operations in the Ever-Changing Environment of Healthcare Providers, The Russian Biopharmaceuticals and Biomedicine Market, and eHealth Initiatives across Emerging Markets in APAC. All studies included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

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