The graying of U.S. Baby Boomers and associated increases in age-related, chronic illnesses such as diabetes and congestive heart failure are expected to impact the growing industry tension of personalization vs. standardization in health care. Consumer desires and opportunities to actively manage their health, an increasing focus on targeted prevention and wellness care, and less-costly access to genomics and proteomics to customize medicines and treatments are driving the industry towards greater customization of care. At the same time, pressures to decrease costs, improve outcomes and reduce unwarranted practice variations are encouraging the use of evidence-based medicine and standardized care practices.

The Life Sciences & Health Care practice at Deloitte recently joined forces with the Institute for the Future to explore this and other key industry tensions and to create a framework for thinking about the choices we face today and will likely face in the future. The result is Industry Compass | 2005, a suite of tools to help analyze and plan for the road ahead. In the Industry Compass perspective “Personalization vs. Standardization,”  industry leaders and subject matter specialists discuss how competing drivers and priorities around customization of care present challenges and opportunities for providers, life sciences companies, health plans and consumers. For your convenience, you can download and print this article. To learn more about the other critical tensions that are expected to cause ripple effects throughout the health care system over the next five years and beyond, visit www.industrycompass.com.