세계의 헬스케어 BPO 시장 규모는 2025년에 349억 달러에 이르렀습니다. 향후, IMARC Group은 2034년까지 시장 규모가 644억 달러에 이르고, 2026-2034년 CAGR 6.84%를 나타낼 것으로 예측했습니다. 업무 부담 및 운영 비용 절감에 대한 요구 증가, 각종 만성질환 유병률 증가, 의료기관의 수익률 향상을 위한 도입 확대 등이 시장 성장을 견인하는 주요 요인으로 꼽히고 있습니다.
환자 수 증가와 환자 안전 향상에 대한 관심 증대
환자 안전과 건강 증진에 대한 관심이 높아지면서 시장 성장에 기여하는 주요 요인 중 하나입니다. 의료기관이 환자에게 최고 수준의 치료를 제공하고 최적의 치료 옵션을 제시하는 것은 매우 중요합니다. 헬스케어 BPO는 조직 내 비핵심 업무의 관리를 지원하여 직원과 의료진의 업무 부담을 덜어줌으로써 환자의 건강관리에 더 집중할 수 있도록 돕습니다. 또한, 입원 환자 수 증가도 헬스케어 BPO 시장 수요에 크게 기여하고 있습니다. 예를 들어, 2022년 미국에서는 3,370만 명 이상의 입원 환자가 기록되었습니다. 또한, 세계 입원 의료 시장은 2024년까지 2조 3,700억 달러에 달하는 놀라운 성장세를 보일 것으로 예상되고 있습니다. 또한, 전 세계적으로 증가하는 병원 수 또한 헬스케어 BPO의 필요성을 증가시키고 있습니다. 예를 들어, 2019년 인도 정부의 Niti Aayog는 향후 5년간 인도에 약 2,500개의 새로운 병원이 건설될 것이며, 2024년까지 의사 1인당 환자 수 1,000명이라는 WHO의 기준을 달성할 가능성이 높다고 발표했습니다. 병원 수와 환자 수 모두 증가함에 따라 의료시설은 헬스케어 BPO 서비스 도입을 서두르고 있습니다.
의료 분야 수익 주기 관리의 새로운 필요성이 대두되고 있습니다.
의료 시스템에서는 수익주기관리(RCM)를 활용하여 환자의 첫 진료 예약부터 의료 시스템과 관련된 최종 잔액 결제까지 환자와의 금전적 거래를 추적하고 있습니다. 또한, Hyperon이 2022년 9월에 발표한 보고서에 따르면, 의료시설은 제대로 구축된 RCM 프로세스를 통해서만 재정적 안정성을 유지하면서 양질의 의료 서비스를 제공할 수 있다고 지적하고 있습니다. 이에 따라 의료 분야 전반에서 RCM의 이용이 증가하고 있으며, 향후 몇 년 동안 헬스케어 BPO 시장의 수익 확대를 촉진할 것으로 예측됩니다. 이와 더불어, 주요 시장 기업들은 시장에서의 입지를 강화하기 위해 새로운 제휴 및 계약에 집중하고 있으며, 이는 시장 성장을 더욱 가속화하고 있습니다. 예를 들어, 2021년 7월에는 수익주기관리(RCM) 업체인 Waystar가 RCM 업체와 환자 지불 회사 간의 최신 거래로 Patientco 인수를 계획했습니다. 이 RCM 벤더는 의료비 지불에 대한 소비자 옵션을 사용자에게 제공함으로써 환자의 재정적 경험을 향상시키는 것을 목표로 하고 있습니다.
헬스케어 BPO에서 AI의 영향력 확대
헬스케어 BPO 분야에서 비임상 업무의 효율화를 지원하는 인공지능(AI) 기반 툴의 등장은 헬스케어 BPO 시장 전망에 긍정적인 영향을 미치고 있습니다. 여기에는 워크플로우 자동화 강화, 담당자 지원, 분석 목적의 데이터 관리 정교화, 예측적 인사이트 제공 등이 포함됩니다. AI는 다양한 분야에서 빠르게 확산되고 있는 현상입니다. 2021년 세계 AI 산업 시장 규모는 약 600억 달러에 달하며, 2028년까지 4,223억 7,000만 달러로 급성장할 것으로 예측됩니다. 또한, 의료 현장에서의 대화와 의료 청구 및 코딩에 특화된 AI 탑재 커뮤니케이션 도구(IVR, IVA, 챗봇 등)에 대한 수요 증가는 시장 전체에 큰 성장 기회를 가져다주고 있습니다. 또한, 의료 분야에서 AI의 영향을 분석한 보고서에 따르면, 의료기관의 75%가 질병 관리 능력을 강화했고, 90%가 직원의 피로를 크게 줄였습니다고 보고했습니다. 이 보고서는 또한 의료기관의 80%가 AI가 재무 건전성을 향상시킬 수 있다고 인식하고 있다고 강조했습니다. 또한 81%는 AI 활용이 경쟁 우위를 가져다 줄 것이라고 확신하고 있습니다. 따라서 AI와 헬스케어 BPO의 통합은 향후 몇 년 동안 헬스케어 BPO 시장 점유율을 확대할 것으로 예측됩니다.
The global healthcare BPO market size reached USD 34.9 Billion in 2025. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach USD 64.4 Billion by 2034, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 6.84% during 2026-2034. The growing need to reduce workload and operational costs, rising prevalence of various chronic diseases, and increasing adoption to generate more profit margins among healthcare facilities represent some of the key factors driving the market growth.
Increasing Patient Count and Rising Focus on Enhanced Patient Safety
The increasing focus on enhancing patient safety and health represents one of the key factors contributing to the growth of the market. It is essential for a healthcare facility to treat patients with the highest level of care and offer the best treatment options. Healthcare BPOs assist in managing non-core activities in an organization, which reduces the workload of staff members and care providers and helps them become more focused on patient health. Moreover, the rising number of patients admitted to the hospital is also significantly contributing to the healthcare BPO market demand. For instance, in 2022, there were over 33.7 million hospital admissions in the United States. Moreover, the inpatient care market worldwide is predicted to witness a prominent growth, with projected revenue reaching a staggering US$ 2.37 Trillion by 2024. Furthermore, the escalating number of hospitals across the globe is also augmenting the need for healthcare BPOs. For instance, in 2019, Niti Aayog, the Government of India, stated that in the next five years, India will have around 2,500 new hospitals, and by 2024, India is also likely to attain the WHO norm of having one doctor for every thousand patients. Such expansion in both hospitals and the number of patients is prompting healthcare facilities to adopt healthcare BPO services.
Emerging Need for Revenue Cycle Management in Healthcare
Healthcare systems use revenue cycle management (RCM) to track the financial dealings with patients, from their initial appointment to the final payment of the balance associated with the healthcare system. Moreover, the report published by Hyperon in September 2022 stated that healthcare facilities can only deliver high-quality care while maintaining their financial stability with properly configured RCM processes. Thus, the usage of RCM has increased across healthcare, which is anticipated to propel the healthcare BPO market revenue in the coming years. In addition to this, various key market players are increasingly focusing on new collaborations and agreements to strengthen their market positions, which is further catalyzing the market growth. For instance, in July 2021, revenue cycle management (RCM) vendor Waystar planned to acquire Patientco in the latest deal between an RCM vendor and a patient payment company. The RCM vendor intends for the combination to boost the patient's financial experience by offering users consumer-friendly options for paying medical bills.
Growing Influence of AI on Healthcare BPO
The rising emergence of artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools in healthcare BPO that assist in streamlining numerous non-clinical tasks is positively impacting the healthcare BPO market outlook. This includes enhancing workflow automation, assisting representatives, refining data administration for analytical purposes, and offering predictive insights. AI is a burgeoning phenomenon across myriad sectors. In 2021, the global AI industry's valuation stood at nearly US$ 60 Billion, with forecasts predicting a surge to US$ 422.37 Billion by 2028. Furthermore, the escalating need for AI-powered communication tools (like IVR, IVA, and chatbots) tailored for healthcare interactions and medical invoicing and coding is offering lucrative growth opportunities to the overall market. Moreover, an analysis report highlighting AI's imprint on healthcare showcased that 75% of health centers amplified their disease control capabilities, and 90% of the healthcare units considerably minimized staff exhaustion. The same report also underscored that 80% of health centers are of the view that AI bolsters their financial health. An additional 81% believe that using AI gives them a competitive edge. Thus, the integration of AI with healthcare BPO is projected to propel the healthcare BPO market share in the coming years.
Claims management represented the largest segment
Claims management service provides compensation and minimizes expenses. It assists in simplifying the claiming process, recording claim data, and reducing the time of providers and customers. It reduces thefts and manages complaints while maintaining client satisfaction.
Revenue cycle management accounted for the largest market share
The revenue management cycle is widely utilized to track the financial dealings with patients from the initial appointment to the final payment of the balance associated with healthcare systems. In addition to this, it assists in handling administrative functions through billing, payment processing, and electronic health record systems. Moreover, the healthcare BPO market overview indicates that various key market players are focusing on new collaborations and agreements to strengthen their positions in the RCM segment. For instance, in March 2022, CPSI, a healthcare solutions company, acquired Healthcare Resource Group Inc., based in Spokane, Washington. HRG is a leading provider of customized revenue cycle management ('RCM') solutions and consulting services that enable hospitals and clinics to improve efficiency, profitability, and patient satisfaction. Thus, the activities done by the major players are expected to propel the healthcare BPO market's recent price in the coming years.
Manufacturing services refer to the process of outsourcing the work of manufacturing or producing numerous medications, such as pills, tablets, and capsules for consumption by a third party. They comprise drug development processes and regulatory support to reduce the lengthy approval procedure for a drug to be released in the market.
Research and development (R&D) services refer to the series of activities that are designed to reach the goal of discovering and delivering new medical drugs, devices, and therapies to market. Non-clinical services comprise supply chain management and logistics, sales and marketing services, such as forecasting, performance reporting, analytics, research, and marketing in pharmaceuticals.
North America was the largest market for healthcare BPO
The report has also provided a comprehensive analysis of all the major regional markets, which include North America (the United States and Canada); Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, and others); Europe (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, and others); Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, and others); and the Middle East and Africa. According to the report, North America (the United States and Canada) was the largest market for healthcare BPO.
The North America healthcare system is a rapidly growing industry that includes pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, medical equipment manufacturers, and medical care facilities. This complex industry infrastructure relies on specialized professionals who oversee these operations. High awareness levels about outsourcing healthcare IT services and the strong presence of prominent market players in the region are attributed to the regional market's growth. Furthermore, healthcare BPO market statistics by IMARC indicate that rising government initiatives in the region are anticipated to drive growth in the healthcare industry, which in turn is expected to propel the market for healthcare BPOs. For instance, in February 2022, the Department of HHS awarded nearly US$ 55 Million to 29 HRSA-funded health centers to increase healthcare access and quality for underserved populations through virtual care. Virtual care has been a game-changer for patients, especially during the pandemic. Thus, the initiatives by government organizations are expected to drive market growth in North America.