As the Obamacare debate rages on, consumers increasingly manage health affairs online

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 06, 2017

If current trends continue, consumers will pay more out of their pocket for healthcare and use the internet and self-service web tools to help them get the best care at the lowest possible price.

But there remain big variations in how fast U.S. hospitals, health systems, insurers and other organizations are moving to give consumers more access to self-service digital and mobile tools to manage their health, health insurance and payments online, according to a new report from Internet Health Management and Digital Commerce 360.

The report What's Next in Digital Healthcare: Analyzing the data and trends shaping the future of web-driven consumer healthcare is designed to help healthcare executives understand the trends driving web-driven consumer healthcare and how and why hospitals, health systems and insurers are building out their online and mobile services.

Innovative healthcare systems leading the way include Carolinas Healthcare, Cleveland Clinic, Geisinger Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente and Mayo Clinic and major health insurers such as Aetna Inc. and UnitedHealth Group. Organizations like these are investing in building digital and mobile healthcare websites and apps that let consumers go online to manage their healthcare affairs in a myriad of ways, such as signing up for or renewing health coverage, checking their medical records and lab results, and getting a prescription filled or refilled.

But the pace of advancement of digital healthcare varies widely by healthcare segment--and organization, according to this new report from Internet Health Management, the leading provider of news, analysis and data on web-driven consumer healthcare and Digital Commerce 360, an information portal that also covers the impact of e-commerce on retail and business-to-business transactions.
Outdated computer systems, obstacles to sharing healthcare data, tight resources and cybercrime are among the core reasons preventing many healthcare organizations from introducing or expanding digital and mobile healthcare, according to the report.

"When it comes to consumer-facing web technology, healthcare still lags behind such other business-to-consumer industries as banking, retail and travel," says Internet Health Management editor and publisher Mark Brohan.

What's Next in Digital Healthcare is the first in a series of executive and research reports that are forthcoming from Internet Health Management.

Later this month Internet Health Management will release the Digital Hospital 500, the first-ever annual ranking of the digital services offered by U.S. hospitals based on metrics such as the number of self-service web and mobile features available to patients, web traffic, social media followers and other data.

"We are committed to keeping the healthcare industry--and the companies that supply the healthcare market with the technology and services that enable digital and mobile healthcare to happen--fully informed with timely research, data and analysis on the trends changing how this $4 trillion industry does business," says Molly Love, president and CEO of Vertical Web Media, publisher of Digital Commerce 360 and Internet Health Management.

About Internet Health Management
Internet Health Management offers in-depth coverage of the internet, mobile, and e-commerce technologies and business strategies fundamentally reshaping the U.S. healthcare system.

About Digital Commerce 360
Digital Commerce 360 provides insight, research and analysis of the trends, technologies and people that are shaping the future of multiple digital commerce markets including retail, business-to-business e-commerce and web-driven consumer healthcare.

For information contact Mark Brohan at 312-362-9535 or Mark(at)verticalwebmedia.com. For advertising opportunities, please contact Judy Dellert at 312-572-6279 or judy(at)verticalwebmedia.com

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