Question: Because healthcare is right at the intersection of several rapidly changing industries- medicine, technology, and business- not to mention subject to changes in legislation and regulation, it is one of the most dynamic industries around. As a healthcare professional, regardless of your specific sector or position, you need to be aware of what the latest developments and trends are in the industry as a whole. That's our goal for this assignment.

I've identified what many industry analysts and insiders consider the top trends in the healthcare field in 2018:

1. Increases in partnerships/collaborations/mergers between top players in the industry

2. Health information technology

3. Opiod epidemic

4. The future of healthcare reform and the Affordable Care Act

5. Changes in the pharmaceutical industry

6. Patient knowledge/consumer-driven care

7. "Big data"

For this assignment, pick one of the above trends and find one specific aspect of it (i.e. if you pick health information technology, you can write about mHealth or EMRs, etc., but not everything HIT related) to write a 2-3 page paper about

(2 full pages minimum), in APA format, with no direct quoting (everything must be in your own words). You can pick any aspect that interests you, and you can structure the paper however you choose, but it must be about the topic now, today, in 2018, and in the United States.

Don't give me the history or tell me what's happening somewhere else in the world! This assignment isn't just about the topic, but about helping you develop your skills in research and writing. Thus, you must use a minimum of 4 references, 2 of which need to be peer-reviewed journal articles, and none of which can be Wikipedia, blogs, or other non-credible resources (check out this video if you're unsure of how to find them. Since we are talking about the topic today, do not use references older than 2013