Rising interest in pop health analytics, but solutions remain immature

Healthcare organizations are showing a rising interest in population health analytics, but reimbursement remains cumbersome and developers have yet to build solutions that effectively meet market needs, Chilmark Research claims in a new report.

To succeed in a value-based model, healthcare organizations require tools to leverage clinical, claims and demographic data to improve care delivery and manage population risk. “This rapidly growing need, in what is still a very immature market, has created significant confusion,” according to the health IT analyst firm.

During the past year, the industry has witnessed an increase in the number of vendors seeking to provide population health management solutions. More than 100 vendors claim to address analytics for population health management, but few actually deliver on their promises. “This is a market where caveat emptor reigns supreme,” according to the firm.

“Vendors can be roughly divided into two categories: best-of-breed and platform-play vendors depending on their particular products and marketing strategies," summarized Chilmark analyst and report author Cora Sharma. "It is currently a best-of-breed market, with providers adapting vendor solutions to meet a particular need created by a specific payment contract. Vendors aspiring to be become enterprise-wide platforms find ‘enterprise-thinking’ healthcare organizations in short supply.”

Access the report here.