A "design-pattern"-based approach for analyzing e-health business models

Abstract

Background: While many e-health initiatives and projects were launched in the last couple of years, a large number of them failed or are prone to fail. These initiatives either missed to articulate a clear value proposition to patients or lacked a sustainable profit generation formula. Purpose: A core problem is the difficulty to understand and express the business logic behind e-health services in today's complex environment. Therefore, it is the aim of this study to provide appropriate means to analyze and explain business logics of e-health service provisions. Methods: The study is of ethnographic nature, since business logics were studied in their social and cultural context. Furthermore, insights were gathered from a thematic literature review on business models in the healthcare sector. Results: Based on the "design pattern" concept applied in architecture and software engineering, three distinct examples of archetypical design solutions of successful business models are discussed. Conclusions: Explanations of the different, isolated business logics can help to increase the understanding of value creation and revenue mechanisms. Findings of this study provide e-health marketers with a tool set to develop more sustainable business models. They facilitate further research on innovation and experimentation with different business model designs. © 2012 Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine.