The $28 billion dollar electronic medical records (EMR) market is shaking up, nearly cracking, according to a new report by Kalorama Information, a leading healthcare market research firm.

The industry faces dissatisfaction among customers and IT staff shortages. Physicians are still not convinced EMRs reduce costs or improve patient care. On top of that, the Trump administration could usher in new policies, for better or worse.

Clinical laboratories are a critical component of health care. Approximately 80% of physicians’ diagnoses are a result of laboratory tests, according to Kalorama Information, a healthcare market research firm.

Common routine tests include cholesterol level tests, HIV tests, pap tests, pregnancy tests, and substance abuse tests. Clinical lab testing is also used to monitor diseases and drug treatments. Specialty testing, which is often more costly, may include genetics, immunology, oncology, endocrinology, and other segments.

Kalorama Information provides life sciences industry research for leading drug, diagnostic, and medical device companies. Kalorama uses expert healthcare analysts who are highly knowledgeable and adept at discovering current trends. This publisher is regularly cited as a credible source by major news outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, The New York Times, Genetic Engineering News, Contract Pharma, and Becker’s Hospital Review.

This year, Kalorama Information has released a number of new market research reports on key diagnostics and medical device industries. Three major reports are profiled below.

President Donald Trump’s stated goal of lowering drug prices won’t be easy. The President told drugmakers at a White House meeting that prices were “astronomical” and hinted at negotiating with Medicare and reducing regulation on new drugs. Congress has also proposed more generic drugs as a way of saving on costs.

While lower drug prices is an admirable goal, an across-the-board reduction of pharmaceutical prices will face many obstacles and most likely would not happen, according to our research at Kalorama Information. If somehow, Congress and the administration were able to achieve a reduction, it might impair the creation of new drugs.

Retail clinic locations have increased 38 percent in the last five years, according to Kalorama Information, a leading publisher of healthcare market research. Retail clinics are positioned for significant growth in the future, as patients continue to seek out convenient, low-cost healthcare services.

Because doctor's offices are usually only open during business hours on weekdays, it can often be challenging to make an appointment, take time off work, and sit in the waiting room before being seen by a medical professional. In contrast, retail clinics offer walk-in services seven days a week, including evenings and weekends.

As patients take a more proactive role in their own health care, direct-to-consumer (DTC) laboratory testing is becoming increasingly popular. DTC genetic tests allow consumers to access information about their genetics without necessarily involving healthcare professionals in the process. 

A number of established and emerging companies are competing in this growing market. Kalorama Information, a healthcare market research firm, recently profiled a variety of prominent market participants in its report The Market for Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing and Routine Laboratory Testing. This blog post highlights 9 of these companies that are among the leaders in the industry.

The long-term care market in the United States reached $305 billion last year, according to a new report by Kalorama Information, a healthcare market research firm own by MarketResearch.com. Long-term care encompasses a continuum of services including home care, assisted living, hospice, and skilled nursing care. It is estimated that two out of five Americans will need long-term care at some point in their lives. The vast majority of people using long-term care services are senior citizens.

The mobile health market could reach an astounding $86.6 billion by 2020, a yearly increase of 20.8 percent over a five-year period, according to Kalorama Information. In the race to re-imagine patient care, a number of innovative companies are creating new, breakthrough solutions that allow patients to access medical care from the comfort of their homes.

Whether you’d like to to text a therapist, or video conference with a doctor, a variety of services and mobile apps are being released to accommodate different needs and preferences. This dynamic field is quickly becoming crowded with competitors, and we can expect to see big shifts in the coming years as companies jostle for position and test new business models.

The outbreak of a hospital associated infection (HAI) known as CRE (carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae) has raised concerns about hospitals and the medical devices they use. However, it is often the case that a problem for one business is an opportunity for another. With hospital infections on the rise, there is now a focus on services that can help hospitals sterilize facilities and devices.

The diseases that can affect cattle, pigs and other livestock and endanger the food supply are numerous, yet still growing. Swine fever, neosporosis, foot-and-mouth disease and other diseases are among the threats to animals that humans eat. Test makers have answered the call to develop products that can help food manufacturers and government agencies protect livestock and ensure a safe food supply at the beginning of the chain. For this reason, the Veterinary Diagnostics market can expect healthy revenue growth, according to insights from a Kalorama Information report on the topic.