During this presentation, Mr. Isgur will identify and discuss significant trends that will reshape healthcare systems around the world.
The session will include an in depth examination of three predominant drivers of global healthcare change.
1) Chronic disease growth: It is rising but predictable.
2) Runaway health care costs: Using predictive systems with longitudinal data that can match patients' care and treatments to their behaviors, preferences and genes is the best hope to control costs.
3) The expanding healthcare community Though the patient-physician relationship remains at the core of patient care, consumers are expanding their healthcare relationships to include groups of organizations that put their needs first and using technologies to seek medical care and advice.
Importantly, the healthcare community and competitive landscape will change as both traditional and non-traditional healthcare organizations adapt and respond to the changing role of individuals. Non-traditional health care companies, not historically a part of the healthcare community, are poised to play a much bigger role and could very well compete with traditional healthcare organizations for a share of the market. Non-traditional market participants, including social networks, technology companies, alternative delivery systems and health and wellness manager are readying themselves to change the future, one patient at a time.
To succeed in a patient-centered environment, healthcare organizations are building a new foundation. Mr. Isgur will discuss the five pillars of the foundation upon which a new global health system will rest: segmentation, illumination, devolution, alignment, and collaboration.
As health systems and related stakeholders apply these principles, they can move the focus of care to individuals and create closer relationships that will ultimately improve individual and system health. This session will provide an opportunity to explore in detail these issues and their impact on the future of healthcare.
Observations and recommendations will be tailored to the needs of healthcare executives who have the responsibility of guiding organizational growth and adaptation. The presentation will cut across all health segments--hospitals, physicians, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, medical devices and life sciences and will present a blueprint for change that session participants can incorporate into their respective planning processes. The discussion will examine policy and societal changes, scientific development, technology and cultural expectations.

A word about methodology

This is the fourth research project of its kind undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute. The inaugural HealthCast 2020 report was published in 1999. The research methodology includes 220 in-depth interviews with health industry thought leaders, policymakers and executives from more than 25 separate countries around the globe, a proprietary consumer and health leader survey conducted in 11 countries, and an analysis of publicly available data relating to global demographic and health trends.