Insurers are taking more steps to incorporate big data and analytics tools into their business than providers, according to a new report published by research and consulting firm IDC Health Insights. Of the 3,500 individuals surveyed, 80 percent of payer IT decision makers said analytics technology is used for between 1 percent and 24 percent of their budgets, but only 49 percent of provider IT decision-makers chose a similar path, FierceHealthIT reported. And when it came to analytics, 77 percent of payers said they were investing in tools, while only 47 percent of providers said the same. And the gap may widen, as report author Cynthia Burghard predicted "healthcare providers are not likely to catch up in their investments or in the maturity of big data and analytics until at least 2015." She added that "all stakeholders must recognize the value of big data and be willing to act on its insights." --Read the full article at FierceHealthIT