By Neal Batra, principal, and Andy Davis, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP

We recently published our Life Sciences and Healthcare Predictions 2030, with the first in the series predicting that by 2030, Consumers are the CEOs of their own health. This prediction explores the rise of the empowered consumer – individuals becoming more informed about their health, proactively engaging in preventative measures, and being active participants in decisions related to their care. This shift towards a more empowered consumer has been underway for some time in the US, outpacing the UK and many other developed countries in its evolution. In this blog, which first appeared as a US Center for Health Solutions Health Forward blog, our US colleagues provide insights into the trends and advancements driving this transformation. In sharing their insights we can get a glimpse of the direction of travel that greater patient engagement and empowerment could mean for the UK.

Meeting the changing expectations of health care consumers was a theme at this year’s annual CES conference in Las Vegas. Overall, consumers have grown accustomed to highly personalized experiences in banking, retail, and entertainment. Many of them have come to expect the same level of convenience and customization in their health care interactions (see The growing disconnect between virtual health and consumer demand). In response, start-up organizations—as well as incumbent health care players—appear to be working to build trust and satisfy changing consumer demands. In some cases, they are looking at opportunities to work collaboratively.

Consumers have access to a growing wealth of detailed data about their own health.¹ This information, combined with apps and digital tools, can help them—and their providers—make more informed decisions and take control of their health journeys. Always-on monitoring sensors and data-gathering apps have become almost ubiquitous in health care (see Integrating digital health tools to help improve the whole consumer experience). A next step is to organize that data and present it to consumers in a way that nudges them toward healthy behaviors. The latest generation of health products offers consumers deeper insights into their well-being, which can help encourage healthier decisions and actions. Many devices have moved beyond just counting steps and calories and now offer early prevention strategies and nudges to help change behavior based on insights.

During a Future of Health session led by Neal Batra (Deloitte’s global Future of Health leader), Dorothy Kilroy, chief commercial officer at ŌURA, said consumers have become increasingly interested in how biometric data can help them manage heart health, mental health, stress, and overall well-being. A “symptom radar” algorithm within the Oura app, for example, can detect changes in heart rate and temperature to identify an illness in its earliest stages, she explained.

In addition to helping consumers monitor their health, Taylor Helgren, director of product management at Google, said wearables, apps, and data platforms could eventually supplement clinical care and lead to more meaningful conversations between patients and their doctors. But transforming massive amounts of health data into usable information—and getting it into clinical workflows—will likely require a collective effort from every player in the health care ecosystem, he said. Taylor and the other panelists agreed there appears to be more collaboration within the industry than ever before. (Watch Neal’s full panel presentation at Future of health at CES--presented-by-Deloitte.)

While aging adults tend to experience more health conditions, young and healthy consumers are more likely to rely on devices to monitor their health, fitness, and potential health risks.² It’s not entirely surprising. Millennials and Gen Z generally grew up with the Internet, smart phones, mobile devices, and social media. They tend to eat healthier foods, drink and smoke less, and exercise more than older generations.³ Dorothy noted that her company’s fastest-growing customer segment is women in their 20s.

Panel discusses unprecedented collaboration

Nearly three quarters of recently surveyed health system executives (72%) said improving the consumer experience is a priority for 2025 (see Deloitte’s 2025 global health care outlook report). Here are a few examples of how life sciences and health care organizations are working to help meet the expectations of health care consumers:

Biopharma and medical technology: Some medical device manufacturers and biopharmaceutical companies see consumers as a potentially untapped market. Last year, Lilly announced a portal through which patients can purchase certain medicines directly from the company, often at a price lower than traditional channels.⁴ Dexcom Inc., a medical device manufacturer, has an over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that can be purchased without a prescription.⁵ The over-the-counter device, which is being promoted to non-diabetics, could help consumers see how their food choices affect the blood sugar, energy, and weight (see Deloitte’s 2025 life sciences outlook). Smart clothing that monitors or detects potential illnesses also appear to be gaining traction. For example, French start-up HOPE phibra is developing a wearable bra that can help detect breast cancer in its earliest stages.⁶ (Watch Andy’s interview with HOPE CEO Jean-Phillipe Massardier here: On the ground at CES 2025--phibra by HOPE).

Health systems: During Neal’s panel discussion, Murali Gangadharan, senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Cedars Sinai health system, said the increased focus on prevention and well-being is not being driven entirely by consumers. On the provider side, it is also being driven by capacity. There is high patient demand for services, but a limited number of physicians and specialists, he said. For health systems, growth likely sits in the intersection between sick-care and well-being/prevention. Niyum Gandhi, chief financial officer at Mass General Brigham, agreed and added that technology helps people to take on a bigger role in managing their own health. “Health care is becoming less reactive, transactional sick care,” he said. Health system leaders should look for opportunities to engage with the people who live in the communities they serve…before they become patients, he added.

Health plans: Public and private health plans typically cover the cost of certain medical devices, such as CGMs for people who have diabetes. But health plans might also consider the potential return on investment for devices that could detect health conditions in their earliest stages. Niyum noted that health plans refer to their customers as members. But that membership typically is only used for sick care. Health plans should look for opportunities to add value to their members—and reduce friction—by helping them avoid the need for sick care.

Conclusion

Our visit to CES in January confirms that the Future of Health that we outlined in 2018 is continuing unabated. In last year’s blog, we suggested that innovative start-ups—rather than the incumbents that defined the industry—would likely lead this initiative (see Reflections on CES 2024). This year, however, it became apparent that every stakeholder in the health care ecosystem needs to work together to transform health care.

Neal Batra - Partner,  Strategy & Analytics, Life Sciences & Health Care

Neal is a principal in Deloitte’s Life Sciences and Health Care industry and heads Deloitte’s market-leading Future of Health™ practice, which focuses on business model and operating model innovation, re-design, and transformation. Neal’s work puts into practice the award-winning ideas that anchor the bold and visionary Future of Health point-of-view that he co-authored in 2018. Neal has more than 20 years of experience advising health organizations on critical strategic challenges, serving clients across the ecosystem, including biotech, medtech, health insurers, hospitals, and health retailers. He is also the Lead Alliance partner for Deloitte’s global relationship with the world-class, Israel-based hospital Sheba Tel Hashomer, a partnership focusing on helping provider systems and governments replicate the success of Sheba’s Tel Aviv-based health innovation ecosystem. Neal lives in New York City and holds an MBA from London Business School and a BBA from the College of William and Mary.

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Andy Davis - Partner, DC Human Capital, Life Sciences & Health Care

Andy Davis is a principal for Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Health Care practice, with over 15 years of experience as a leader in our health actuarial practice, driving change across the ecosystem with payers, providers, and life sciences companies. He is known for bringing an understanding of how to quantify the economic value of services to members, patients, and customers, which spans payers, providers, PBMs, large pharmaceutical manufacturers, medtech, and diagnostics companies.

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1 ^{The dawn of a new day: Consumer-directed access to health data is finally here, Fierce Healthcare, March 9, 2020}

2 ^{Wearable health care mech trend driven by millennials, PYMNTS, December 22, 2022}

3 ^{How Gen Z are reshaping the healthcare industry, World Economic Forum, September 26, 2023}

4 ^{Pfizer launches a digital platform that helps simplify access to health care, Pfizer press release, August 27, 2024.}

5 ^{Stelo by Dexcom first glucose biosensor cleared by FDA as over-the-counter, Dexcon press release, March 5, 2024}

6 ^{At CES: health gadgets that detect breast cancer, measure body fat and turn you into a computer, Daily Mail, January 8, 2025}