Patients Analytics
Patients are, of course, the ultimate consumers of healthcare and will need also to become better informed consumers of analytics—at least to some degree. They will need analytics to decide which providers are most effective, whether the chosen treatment will work, and in some payment structures, whether they are getting the best price possible. These consumer roles are consistent with the “consumer health informatics” and “Health 2.0” (use of web-based and e-technology tools by patients and physicians to promote healthcare and education) concepts. Of course, complex biostatistics and the results of comparative effectiveness studies are unlikely to be understood by most patients and will have to be simplified to be helpful.