IMS Health identifies 10 events that may transform the delivery of health care

As the global market for drugs surpasses $1 trillion this year, growing payer scrutiny of value for money is just one of the factors that will drive disruptive change in the use of medicines over the next decade, according to a report issued today by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.

The study,  Harbingers of Change in Healthcare, identifies 10 recent events – thresholds crossed, actions taken or decisions made – that are triggered by innovations in technology, information use and the connectedness of health care systems, and represent turning points in the role of medicines in advancing health care.

These harbingers reflect the deep and rapid changes in the global health sector that are upending business models and forcing all stakeholders to re-evaluate their approaches to bringing health care to patients. They point to a future of evidence-based and integrated decision-making powered by information and technology, improved patient outcomes with millions of lives saved through transformational disease treatments, and expanded use of medicines in more efficient, connected health systems.