From the January 2013 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

When I give a speech on health care, I ask the audience for a show of hands. “How many of you have ever gone online to do price research before a major purchase?” Usually all hands go up. “How many of you have been able to go online to do the same before a major medical procedure?” No hands go up. “How many of you are able to look at past performance before investing in a mutual fund?” Usually 70 percent raise their hands. “How many of you have been able to do past performance comparisons on cancer centers?” No hands go up. So all the connectivity, efficiency and digitization we have come to expect in the rest of our lives is simply coming to the health care sector. That will dramatically lower costs as it has in the rest of the economy.

I think that by 2020 we will no longer call it “Health Care” but “Health Management.” Our entire medical system will be about managing healthy lives instead of treating sick people. Our health costs will go down as a result. We will be moving away from our current “pound of cure” medical system.


So, we will soon be able to tell mom she was right about that “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – even in health care!

About the author:David Houle is a futurist, thinker and speaker. His most recent book, Entering the Shift Age (Sourcebooks, January 2013), is now available as mini e-books, including one on education. A sought-after speaker, he has delivered speeches on six continents and in 12 countries. He blogs at www.evolutionshift.com.

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