IMS Health finds IT roles transforming as life sciences companies embrace digital revolution

More than 80% of leading life sciences companies have created new digital and innovation leadership roles to capitalize on the information technology (IT) transformation in healthcare, with nearly half hiring new chief information officers (CIOs) during the past three years, according to new research issued today by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.

The rise of mobile, cloud, predictive analytics and other digital innovations offers new opportunities for advancing patient care as companies launch innovative products at a more rapid pace and in more therapy areas. These dynamics, along with spending and operational constraints, require life sciences CIOs to expand specialized IT knowledge and skills within their organizations, and to play a more strategic role in driving commercial success through digital transformation.

The study, New Strategic Information and Technology Roles in Life Sciences Companies, includes a proprietary Information and Technology Transformation Scoring framework (ITTS) to assess progress among the top 50 global life sciences companies. ITTS tracks five areas of technology conversion: Innovation/Disruption, Organizational Transformation, Big Data/Analytics, Infrastructure, and Future of Work. The study was produced independently in collaboration with Egon Zehnder, a leading global executive search and talent management firm.