Digitalization in distress: Digital technologies in healthcare and challenges of ecosystem adoption

Abstract

Our study provides an in-depth analysis of digital technologies in healthcare and the ecosystem challenges newly developing platforms face here. Based on three case studies of digital technology applications that transform the healthcare industry in different ways, we provide recommendations to help overcome these challenges. First, scaling in healthcare ecosystems tends to be more gradual, but this can be accelerated if it is coordinated by higher level umbrella associations. Second, digital healthcare technologies can only have a transformational impact if processes within healthcare organizations are realigned. This transformation process is driven by a value proposition that requires organizations to develop new competencies. Third, in complex regulated fields such as healthcare, rather than the commonly observed supply-side unipolar governance, multipolar governance is required to manage the ecosystem, leading to co-specialization between supply side technology providers and demand side actors and activities. Fourth, in healthcare ecosystems we observe across multiple levels potential challenges to, as well as potential solutions for, the development of the value proposition. These different levels need to be aligned for the newly developing value proposition to successfully emerge.