A recent report suggests Australia’s health industries are falling behind on the benefits of IT integration into services.

Market analysts IDC have put out the 'Australia Healthcare ICT Market 2013–2017 Forecast and Analysis', which shows that while healthcare is worth around $140 billion per year in Australia – only about 1.5 per cent of that is spent on IT. The analysts claim this is considerably less than other major industries spend, and that the returns are more than worthwhile.

With current conditions considered, the IDC report claims that healthcare IT spending may have been in a declining state for some time. They have forecast that the $2.06 billion spent on computerised health services will increase by 2017, but not by a great deal. IDC claims it will top just $2.16 billion over the next four years. With an annual growth rate forecast at just 1 per cent, the seems to be plenty that could be gained in the area.

IT spending in healthcare is dominated by telecommunications and hardware investments, which take up 33.5 per cent and 31.8 per cent of the total, respectively.

Other reports have suggested that the beneficiaries of significant government funding packages have failed to implement them effectively. Programs such as the PCEHR (personally controlled electronic health record) system are highlighted as areas which could have taken-off more rapidly, while still other systems remain totally manual.

The report suggests healthcare providers roll-out IT infrastructure more effectively, to prove it can help and to assure useful future funding.

“There is uncertainty about the continuity and the pattern of healthcare investments in the future. Australian healthcare provider organisations must now translate those initial investments into outcomes,” says IDC's Emilie Ditton

“Large transformational projects will continue to form part of the ICT opportunities within the healthcare industry, but IDC is expecting a much slower growth rate, and a shift in investment to software and IT services in support of the platforms and process changes that are required to deliver improved productivity across the sector.”

Ms Ditton says effective involvement of technology can help save money and find new approaches to the problems which place the largest burden on the industry.

“As aged care and chronic disease management become focus areas for the healthcare industry, care management solutions with mobility as a key enabler will see more investment. The success of a connected healthcare atmosphere lies in the ability to give access to healthcare data to clinicians at the point of care, including the patient's homes,” she says

“The eHealth records and the NBN can be good foundation. We need policies in place for care management plans that involve the individual, the primary care physician, and the social support system.”