The report estimates that PHR software-generated revenue will increase from $312.2 million in 2010 to $414.8 million in 2015, representing a 5.8% compound annual growth rate.
The report noted that people traditionally have had a low level of interest in maintaining PHRs. However, researchers predicted that individuals increasingly will be drawn to the technology for various reasons, including:
Structural reforms in the health care system, such as the introduction of collaborative care models;
Growing adoption of electronic health record systems among health care providers;
Technological advancements that will streamline the gathering and consolidation of data for PHR platforms and enable easier use; and
General widespread use of IT, including mobile Internet devices.
Jessica Ryan Ohlin — a Frost & Sullivan analyst — suggested that as the health system undergoes structural and payment changes, “public sentiment is shifting away from the traditional passive approach towards recognition of the need to be more proactive about future care and more engaged at the actual point of care” (Rowe, EHR Watch/Government Health IT, 3/12).
