‘Big data’ in healthcare, more than just clinical

For a concept as seemingly simple as an information system that stores and manages data, the electronic medical record (EMR) has experienced a remarkably difficult road to adoption. Many sectors, from banking to retail, embraced big data already a long time ago but, traditionally, the healthcare industry lagged behind. Reasons for this slow adoption include providers’ resistance to change, underinvestment in information technology and privacy concerns. Benefits of adopting EMRs are numerous and nicely laid out in the following info graphic.

But things are about to change, according to a report of McKinsey & Company, a new view of big data in the healthcare industry is reaching a tipping point. After a decade of digitizing medical records an era of open information in healthcare is now under way. In 2005, only about 30% of hospitals and office-based-physicians used basic EMRs. This figure rose to respectively 75% and more than 50% in…