Analytics is finding new applications in healthcare. While other sectors like financial service and transportation have already seen significant adoption of analytics, healthcare is catching up. It is about time!

For most healthcare delivery organizations, the focus on delivering the highest value has never been greater. Technological advances and rapidly shifting financial landscapes are increasing pressure to achieve wholesale reconsideration and reconstruction of healthcare delivery models in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Delivery systems are also shifting their key focus from volume-oriented healthcare delivery to individual and population health, which is what the consumers actually desire from healthcare.

This issue of Editor’s Cut examines the impact of analytics in all areas of healthcare from operations improvement to public policy guidance.

Volume Editor M. Eric Johnson’s work on this project was partially supported by a collaborative award from the National Science Foundation (NSF award number CNS-1329686). The views expressed in this volume are those of the authors/speaker and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of NSF.