Christian Rebhan: How Healthcare Is Changing in Europe

Read the transcript below.

CHRISTIAN REBHAN: Change is accelerating at the front line of Europe in healthcare. Cost pressure, digital technologies, and tighter protocols are transforming delivery of care. To better understand the impact of these trends, Bain has surveyed a multinational survey, with more than 1,000 physicians participating across Europe.

Our findings are a call to action for provider organizations, as well as pharma and medtech companies. If we look at provider organizations, many of them have already started down the path of consolidating and professionalizing care. Physicians tell us that use of electronic medical records, as well as standard treatment protocols, has more than doubled over the last two years.

Yet, it is a very long way to go. A majority of physicians feels that their organization is ill prepared to meet the demands of the future. Top of mind is the aging patient population, with a significant share of physicians in Europe being anxious that this trend will negatively impact their ability to deliver high quality care.

Systematization also has a direct impact on pharma and medtech manufacturers. As in the US, procurement offices are gaining a greater say in purchasing decisions. Pharma and medtech sales representatives are declining in importance as a source of information for our physicians. So overall, provider organizations, as well as pharma and medtech manufacturers, need to become more flexible, more integrated, and most importantly, need to speed up in their renewal of systems and processes to meet future demands.

Read the Bain Report: Front Line of Healthcare Report 2016