Dive Brief:
- U.S. investment in on-demand healthcare will reach $1 billion by 2017, up from $200 million in 2014, a new report from Accenture says. Annual investment has grown at rate of 224% during that time.
- Still, in terms of marketshare, healthcare accounts for just 6% of on-demand services — behind transportation (76%) and food and drink (10%). Logistics (3%) and professional services (2%) round out the field.
- Driving growth in on-demand healthcare are a number of factors, including reimbursement by a number of national carriers.
Dive Insight:
Just two of the top 10 funded on-demand companies — Teledoc and American Well — focus on healthcare, Forbes reported. But the healthcare segment saw lots of new entrants, growing from four firms in 2010 to 42 in 2014.
Investment in the industry is likely to remain strong as payers agree to reimburse for on-demand healthcare services. Already Anthem, Aetna, UnitedHealth Group and a number of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans cover some services.
Also adding to the on-demand’s allure are cheaper visits, more widespread use of smartphones, growing interest in digital health options among seniors, and competition among insurers to offer best-in-class benefits packages, Accenture said.
“Investment in on-demand healthcare and collaboration between industries will ultimately precipitate a shift away from a goods and services model to a ‘life care’ model, providing patients with personalized services that addresses [sic] a multitude of daily needs,” Kaveh Safavi, senior managing director for Accenture’s global health business, said in a statement.