On-Demand Care: A Growing Part of Health IT Infrastructure.

The number of on-demand health care companies jumped from just four in 2010 to 42 in 2014. The business case for “digital-first” healthcare models appears to be rapidly coalescing. Research from professional services firm Accenture indicates that companies are leveraging an emerging parcel of health IT infrastructure — connected devices in closed-loop environments — to deliver new care experiences to consumers. In a report titled ���Healthcare: For here or to go,” published on Feb. 2, Accenture estimates the U.S. funding for so-called “on-demand healthcare companies” — which provide location-based offerings with near-real-time and 24/7 services — will spike four-fold from over $200 million in 2014 to $1 billion by the end of 2017.