Healthcare information technology (HCIT) consulting or HCIT advisory services focus on advising healthcare organizations, healthcare providers, and payers regarding the best possible utilization of IT solutions to achieve their business and efficiency objectives. HCIT consulting encompasses technical consulting services like development of client-appropriate IT solutions along with implementation and postimplementation support (limited to bug fixing, warranty, and mantainence).

The Healthcare IT Consulting Market vendors are placed into 4 categories based on their performance and reviews in each criterion: “visionary leaders,” “innovators,” “dynamic differentiators,” and “emerging companies".

Companies recognized as visionary leaders are key market players in terms of new developments such as product launches, innovative technologies, and adoption of growth strategies. Companies in this quadrant receive high scores for most evaluation criteria. They have a strong product portfolio, a very strong market presence, and also have robust business strategies. The HCIT consulting services market is majorly dominated by tier-one players. These players have a broad range of service offerings that caters to the requirements of all end users across the care continum. Visionary leaders primarily focus on acquiring the leading market position through their strong financial capabilities and their well-established brand equity.

Dynamic players are established vendors with very strong business strategies and market presence. However, they have a slightly lesser established product portfolio as compared to vanguards. They generally focus on a specific type of product.

Innovators demonstrate substantial product innovations in comparison to their competitors. They have a focused product portfolio but do not have very strong growth strategies for their overall business along with low geographical presence.

Emerging vendors have niche product offerings and are starting to gain their position in the market. They do not have strong business strategies as compared to other established vendors. They might be new entrants in the market and require some more time before getting significant traction. The emerging companies do not have a wider market presence. As the market poses a moderate threat to new entrants in establishing their footprint, there are many players who are providing HCIT consulting services to diverse clientele groups globally. Hospitals (both private and public), physician groups, and integrated delivery networks (IDNs) are the major end users of healthcare IT solutions. The global healthcare industry, especially in the U.S., is undergoing a transformative shift. An important aspect of this shift is the growing digitalization of healthcare records. After the implementation of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, there has been a marked increase in the use of EHRs among healthcare providers. The implementation and adoption of EHR systems is a complex process and involves huge financial investments and proper staff training and education. Additionally, work that is done post-implementation of EMR has a greater impact on how a health system succeeds. Healthcare organizations face immense pressure to deliver clinical and financial results that demonstrate the benefits of their implemented EHRs. EHR implementation, if done without sufficient vendor support or advanced project management techniques, may result in the healthcare organization failing to achieve its intended objectives. Hence, healthcare providers choose to partner with consultants for EHR implementation. Ambulatory care centers (ASCs) offer a wide range of medical services and procedures that are performed on an outpatient basis. These centers mainly comprise physician offices, emergency care departments, and hospital outpatient departments. The procedures conducted at these facilities include blood tests, X-rays, endoscopy procedures, biopsies, catheterizations, minor surgeries, and plastic surgery. ASCs provide cost-effective care in a highly regulated environment to ensure quality and safety, which has led to the growing migration of surgical procedures from hospitals to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). This growth in demand has caused these health systems to refine their outpatient strategies. ASCs also play a prominent role in patient care. However, to manage various functions like patient billing, operational efficiency, and information flow among sites of care, it is essential for them to employ a modern IT solution. Home healthcare agencies, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities offer home and community-based long-term care and support services. In the past few years, the demand for nursing homes and assisted living facilities has increased. This is mainly due to the increasing number of people requiring long-term care as a result of the growing geriatric population and rising incidence of chronic disorders. With a number of patients being treated in such facilities, the volume of patient records generated in non-traditional locations such as home-based care, nursing homes, and residential care facilities will also increase. The use of HCIT solutions, including electronic medical records (EMRs), telemedicine, and telehealth, as well as point-of-care documentation is becoming increasingly prominent as these solutions help in improving both the efficiency of service delivery and healthcare quality.