Indirect effect of open innovation on clinical and economic value creation in digital healthcare: A comparative study of European countries

Abstract

The study addresses the relationship between open innovation and value creation in digital healthcare services. Previous research has focused on the diverse aspect of digital innovations in healthcare; however, the effect of open innovation on value-based digital healthcare has yet to be explored. We argue that open innovation is context-specific and thus has a fundamentally different effect on value creation in digital healthcare than in other business sectors and also that it can vary across countries. To fill the gap, we applied the structural equation modeling technique with a sample of 184 Lithuanian and Spanish physicians to investigate the impact of open innovation on clinical and economic value creation. Our study confirmed that open innovation indirectly affects clinical and economic value through patient and physician experience. Furthermore, we find that open innovation is context-dependent and performs differently across countries. Finally, we elaborate on the emerging concept of inside-in open innovation.