New Research Suggests the Global Digital Health Market is Gaining Strength
A new quarterly research series uses financial and market signals to improve understanding of digital health’s evolution, scope and impact. This data indicates the global digital health market is gaining strength. Here’s why.
As I discussed in a previous post, there’s been an ongoing debate about whether digital health (as an industry) is dead, or alive. Much of this conversation has been centered around financial metrics, as some investors have not realized rapid returns and companies globally are failing to gain traction.
This debate is framed within the context of economic returns, partly because firms such as Rock Health and StartUp Health have developed valuable reports focusing on on U.S. and global digital health investment activity. (BTW, here’s StartUp Health’s latest funding data.)
However, thousands of organizations, startups, government agencies, universities and others are testing, developing and commercializing digital solutions globally. The full impact of much of this vital activity is not captured in quarterly investment numbers.
Improving our understanding of digital health’s scope, scale and impact requires new data, metrics and analysis.
Since 2015, I have been leading the collection of what may be the world’s largest source of categorized data focusing on the global digital and emerging technology market.
Currently at more than 4 million data points, this intelligence source provides high-value insights about key market events, investment activity, partnerships, pilots, collaborations and other data illustrating how digital health is being implemented on a daily basis.
Yesterday, I announced the launch of a new quarterly report series utilizing this data set on HIT Consultant, titled digihealth impact trac.
Notably, I’ve introduced a new metric: The Global Digital Health Strength Index (shown above). The Index consists of four measures that, when taken together, provide a holistic picture of how the digital health market is performing globally quarter by quarter.
And, the data suggest that the global digital health market is gaining in strength. Global innovation diffusion is strong, investment is accelerating (especially in Europe and Asia), people are focused on measuring digital’s impact on health outcomes and more.
You can view the Q3 2017 edition of digihealth impact trac below. I hope you find this report, and the data within it, useful for your work. Please read (and share).
