I came across an article in Forbes discussing beauty and wellness trends for 2020 (see: 9 Beauty And Wellness Trend Predictions For 2020 And Beyond). Included in the article was the graphic shown below that categorizes the global wellness economy for 2017 into various segments. All of this raised the question in my mind about how health systems can pursue a portion of this huge wellness market without straying too far from their roots. First, take a look at the graph below.
I believe that it would be relatively easy for health systems to become more engaged in three segments of the global wellness industry as shown above. They are: (1) traditional and complementary medicine (2) preventive and personalized medicine, and (3) nutrition and weight loss. Many health systems have already embraced complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with enthusiasm in (see: Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States.). Similarly, most health systems have also developed nutritional and weight loss programs. Many physicians tend to be the most enthusiastic about bariatric surgery because the results can be dramatic. Some diseases like Type 2 diabetes can also be ameliorated by bariatric surgery (see: How Weight Loss Surgery Helps Type 2 Diabetes).
In my mind, however, the segment of wellness that is, and will continue to. be most important for health systems is preventive and personalized medicine. To be very specific, such engagement by hospitals will involve embracing and recommending wearable health ecosystems (WHEs) which are home-based networks of smartphones, smartwatches, and attached diagnostic tools (see: Apple's iPhone and Watch Function as Medical Research Tools). Health systems will come to view such WHEs as extensions of their primary care programs. This will require engagement by their PCPs with monitoring and interpretation of home-generated health data. This will then be one of the major means by which health systems compete with health plans and walk-in clinics like those offered by CVS and Walmart for primary care (see: Walmart Shapes Its Own Primary Care, Unbundling Strategy; Walmart Expands the Range of Services of Walmart Health).
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