Perficient launches dedicated Digital Health service line
St. Louis-based digital consulting firm Perficient has launched a new service line dedicated to the digital transformation of healthcare and life sciences industry clients. The business combines the firm’s healthcare consulting expertise with the end-to-end solutions provision of Perficient Digital – the company’s digital agency.
Digital transformation is driving growth within the healthcare consulting market, with IT infrastructure, cloud adoption, and digitalization among the three main growth drivers, according to data from The Black Book. Overall, technology consulting accounts for about 64% of a $53 billion healthcare consulting market. The management consulting market in healthcare is projected grow a further $10 billion to reach $63 billion after posting 18% growth last year.
Aiming to capitalize on the booming digital healthcare consulting market, digital transformation consultancy Perficient has launched a dedicated Digital Health business. The firm provides services in the areas of digital strategy, marketing, creative, custom app and mobile development, platform implementations, and Internet of Things. Founded in 1997, Perficient has over 2,800 employees and posted revenues of $486 million in 2016. It has 22 offices in the US, and a further 7 offices across Canada, Mexico, the UK, China, and India.
The new Digital Health practice will provide digital consulting support in three areas: engagement, delivery of care, and data & insights. Healthcare organizations are under intense pressure to improve their operations and outcomes through digital means – especially with looming threats from disruptors like Amazon angling to upend the healthcare landscape. 
“Research suggests that more than a third of healthcare consumer interactions will be digitally executed outside traditional settings in the next five years, while the remaining two-thirds will gravitate to digitally coordinated, ‘real-time’ health systems,” said David Allen, Perficient’s director of Digital Health.
“The healthcare market must push the boundaries of its traditional healthcare models if it wants to drive more affordable and accessible care, meet the demands of consumers, patients and members with more personalized experiences, and innovate new products and channels to serve customers’ needs,” added Allen.
Perficient’s three focus areas in the Digital Health practice will help payers, providers, and pharma companies deliver better value and outcomes to their businesses and patients. Engagement and Experience will drive more cohesive relationships with patients and members, while Delivery of Care will focus on providing the best care in the most cost-effective setting or channel. Insight and Knowledge will utilize emerging technology to accelerate new clinical and operational knowledge.
The new practice combines Perficient’s health science consulting expertise with the deep capabilities of Perficient Digital – which creates end-to-end digital solutions for its clients.
“Healthcare and life sciences organizations…need a trusted partner with depth and breadth in strategic consulting, coupled with the innovative spirit of a boutique, to deliver on the expectations and requirements of their end-users,” commented Allen. “Perficient sits right in that sweet spot.”
The consulting firm has already helped numerous healthcare and life sciences organizations unlock powerful advantages through digitalization. Perficient used IBM Watson to surface symptoms, diseases, and medications to help a healthcare management team identify high-risk patients when critical care data was unavailable – boosting patient identification from 51% to 92%.
Perficient also helped hospital network Dignity Health build a ‘My Home’ web experience to allow patients to pay bills, request prescription refills, access clinical information, and message their provider. They also built a Find a Doctor website to help Dignity’s patients easily schedule appointments and find providers.
“The most successful digital strategies are those that consider the entire end-to-end journey from the front-end, consumer experience all the way through the patient journey, aligned with backend clinical solutions,” said Jim Hertzfeld, Perficient’s Digital Chief Strategist.
“Understanding your customers’ needs and wants, and investing in the digital technologies, systems, and processes to meet those expectations will allow today’s healthcare organizations to deliver seamless, personalized experiences that drive better health outcomes and improve patient care.”
