Is digital health the future of healthcare? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

Worldwide, healthcare is at the intersection of ever-rising costs and the introduction of disruptive digital innovations, digital health innovations will expectantly play a significant role in:

* Curbing long-term healthcare costs.

* Enabling better healthcare outcomes.

* Empowering both the patient and the healthcare provider with real-time data and connections with each other.

* Enabling the introduction of new contributors to the healthcare ecosystem.

Leslie Saxon, founder and executive director of the USC Center for Body Computing, said, “Imagine a model of healthcare that’s always available and driven by data so you’re continuously collecting data off your body, about your environment, your nutrition, and activity,”… “then it delivers back to you personalized health care throughout your whole life. You don’t have to be in a brick-and-mortar building to get it, and you have access to the world’s best experts.”

Everyday technologies like cell phones, smartphone sensors, cloud storage, and data analytics are playing a critical role in digital health today. The use of digital health will help in early disease prediction that will lead to behavioral changes that prevent and eliminate system costs. Patients will be able to compare provider quality and prices and make informed choices based on value, which will improve productivity. More accurate and timelier identification of diseases will enhance treatment and reduce waste. Telemedicine and remote monitoring, coupled with new and lower-cost care settings such as home care will improve patients’ health and ensure use of the most efficient level of care. Additional and more accurate information regarding the clinical and economic performance of products and services will improve innovation.

In 2016, the global digital health market was at $179.6 billion, according to Transparency Market Research (TMR). Growth in this market is anticipated to rise at a CAGR of 13.4% between 2017 and 2025, reaching $536.6 billion by the end of 2025.

Adoption of these emerging technologies, while favorable, will require a high level of coordination and interoperability across the various sectors of healthcare to ensure that the true benefits of improved proactive healthcare can be achieved and sustained.

This question originally appeared on Quora. More questions on Quora:

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