Investment in health
information technology, the privacy and security of patient data, and ramping
up social media efforts will be top concerns for health care organizations in
2012, according to a study by PwC's Health Research Institute.
PwC made these predictions
after the completion of a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults on their attitudes toward
health care issues. Results were combined with an analysis of regulatory,
government and economic issues that will affect health care next year.
"2012 will be a seminal
year for the health industries as businesses wade through economic, regulatory
and political uncertainty," said Kelly Barnes, U.S. health industries
practice leader at PwC. "One of the ways the health industry is responding
to these uncertainties is by connecting in new ways with each other and their
consumers as they rethink existing business models and previous notions about
competition, cooperation and collaboration."