Federal health IT market poised for growth

Investments in health IT systems and services by federal government agencies will increase from $4.5 billion in 2011 to $6.5 billion in 2016 at a compound annual growth rate of 7.5 percent, according to a new GovWin report from research firm Deltek.

[See also: Health IT leads new job markets in the making]

“Federal Health Information Technology Market, 2011-2016” explores the federal health IT market environment and future trends and their anticipated impact on vendors, VARS, systems integrators, and federal contractors over the next five years.

The federal IT market is seeing unprecedented change that will transform the market over the next decade, moving from a slow but stable market to one that will change continuously in many ways, the report notes. The eventual future of federal IT is one of continuous services that can be accessed by an increasing variety of devices connected via clouds.

[See also: 3D medical imaging market pegged at $5.9B by 2017]

“Unlike most areas of projected federal spending, health IT purports to be a growth market over the next five years,” write GovWin’s senior analysts. “Rising healthcare costs, aging population, and continued high unemployment drive federal healthcare expenditures up over the next decade and into future.”   

The HITECH Act and the Affordable Care Act are driving the federal government to facilitate adoption of health IT at a nationwide level to increase health outcomes, improve U.S. health, and drive down the cost of healthcare, the report also notes Agencies will be forced to spend money to save money in the long run by investing in electronic health record systems, IT infrastructure modernization for health-related agencies, payment system transformation, and IT to promote advancement in population health.

GovWin’s key findings are: