Digital Innovation - Transformation into the Healthcare Ecosystem
The use of Digital Innovation for Transformation of the Healthcare Ecosystem is one of the hottest topics and most in-demand activity going on in the healthcare system today. And not just today, it's been a huge and high priority undertaking for over a decade. Experts and pundits that taut it's need and the origins of its inception vary greatly. I will leave that part of this exciting transformation for a different blog. This blog will be a briefing on something I call the "Digital Ecosystem Triad", and the "Digital Ecosystem Wheel".
The 2 graphics below represent these 2 concepts really well. The "Digital Ecosystem Platform Triad" is the term I and many use to describe the need to integrate the
Customer Experience, with
Strategy, and
Technology.
Experts, companies and service providers vary widely on how (and even if) they prioritize all 3 of these, and also how they work within and provide solutions for each of these legs of the triad. I believe the priority should always be the Customer, with the Strategy being second, and the Technology leg being the 3rd priority I am fully aware not everyone agrees with this, and this is fine, but if you prioritize in this order and apply Agile Methodology throughout the journey, you will eventually development the most effective and relevant solutions to customer and patient care.
The Customer Experience
The Transformation of the Healthcare Ecosystem must begin with the customer. The questions to ask, and the focus is to be on the Who, What, When, Why and How.
The Who of the Customer Experience essentially needs to answer such things as: age, gender, nationality, patient's state of health, geography, socioeconomic situation, and other factors. These are the Who is the customer is the patient. If the customer is a service provider, or other organization, then the Who will be different.
The What of the Customer Experience needs to answer - what will the solution provide, what environment is the solution provided in, what other family and support people are in place, and what is the goal of the system. Also, in the case of patients, it will be key to address if the final result of the What will be incremental, evolutionary or transformative for the patient and the healthcare ecosystem. More about those delineations in a future blog. (Transformation, Revolution or Incrementalism - What is Your Digital Transformation Targeting for the Patient - coming soon...)
The When of the Customer Experience needs to answer: when will the customer be contacted, when will they be treated, when will the initial follow-up be, and when will the mid-term and the longer-term follow-up be.
The Why of the Customer Experience needs to answer: why is the customer engaged with the healthcare system at this moment, why wasn't it done sooner, and why is it that this provider that is now engaged.
The How of the Customer Experience needs to answer: how will the customer be engaged, how will they be followed up with, and how will other in the customers ecosystem be notified and involved.
The Strategy
The Strategy leg of the Digital Innovation Triad deals with all aspects of the strategy that will be used to provide solutions to the Customer leg. I usually lead my teams by starting with a review of the Project or Program Charter, the Use Cases, the Business Needs, and if documented, the Customer Requirements. I also try to quickly introduce the SWOT Analysis, just to help give context and structure to the data gathering needed.
Technology
The Technology leg of the Digital Innovation Triad will include the Iot Platform, the data center, data analysis and services, the servers needed, any peripheral or ancillary devices (e.g. wearables, implantables, diagnostics, telehealth platforms), any Cloud based solutions or applications, WiFi and Bluetooth needs and connection methods, and all aspects of connectivity.
Agile Methodology
Agile Methodology and Scrum teams will be used throughout this process, with each iteration of Design, Build and Testing moving the solutions further and further toward the final commercializable release. Agile Methodology in the Healthcare ecosystem takes on an entirely new meaning, and needs experts for this to be done correctly and effectively, and of course in compliance with all HIPAA, FDA, and International Regulatory Standards. I will have a future blog about this, stay tuned!
The Digital Transformation Wheel
The graphical representation for the Digital Transformation Wheel is below, and will be the subject of a future blog. Suffice it to say, the wheel helps to visualization and contextualize all the various aspects of the Digital Transformation that need to be taken into account and dealt with during the journey.
The Big Gap - The Why - The Bottom Line
The beginning, middle and end of the Digital Innovation - Transformation in the Healthcare Ecosystem is all about the customer, and I like to keep the actual end customer as being the patient. There will always be a wide variety of customers along this journey, since all Digital Innovations and Transformations are done within big ecosystems of diverse providers, suppliers, consultants, contractors and stakeholders. The Healthcare Ecosystem is no different, and must include Insurance companies, patients families, and even local community centers, libraries, schools and religious institutions. The more holistic and integrative the effort, the more transformative the solution will be.
If you’re having challenges or questions about how to best integrate your Medical Device as a Connected Solution into the Digital Healthcare Ecosystem, you’ll have it done fastest and most efficiently by using experts that have done this before. I’ve helped develop and launch over $6 Billion worth of product and services in the medical device industry, including many connected solutions, digital health and digital therapeutics.
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And good luck!
