Apr 14, 2022
Forbes + League: 3 key insights on platform tech in healthcare
6 min read
Forbes recently published an article by League Founder and CEO Michael Serbinis, exploring platform technologies in healthcare. He discussed how platformization has impacted other industries, the current fragmentary state of healthcare consumer experiences (CX) and how integrating platforms into healthcare will profoundly transform these disparate ecosystems. In this article, we break down this conversation and provide three key insights to consider in your digital transformation strategy.
Insight No. 1: platforms are the ultimate accelerator for industry transformation
Consider how Shopify became the de facto platform for e-commerce and the massive efficiencies it unlocked. Essentially, Shopify enabled small to medium size businesses to shift their priorities from building the infrastructure to facilitate transactions to the actual CX and sales experience. By providing a foundational architecture that businesses could build their e-commerce upon, Shopify unleashed incredible growth in the industry and empowered thousands of companies to compete toe-to-toe with the likes of Amazon.
Platforms unify the disparate elements of ecosystems and substantially improve CX by prioritizing UX-optimized apps and consumer-centric technologies. When platformization occurs in the healthcare industry, we will see the same fundamental shift and industry acceleration as organizations focus on member and patient experience.
“When it comes to shopping, gaming, communicating, managing personal finances and so much more, consumers are awash with UX-optimized apps and websites that integrate seamlessly into each other to create a cohesive platform experience.”
Insight No. 2: healthcare is markedly a pre-platform industry
In other industries, platformization is identifiable by a clear pattern: individual point solutions consolidate and shift toward broader platforms that unify the marketplace with greater emphasis on the consumer. The healthcare industry is at the tipping point of this pattern. Currently, ecosystems and data repositories not only don’t communicate with each other but are unable to communicate. As a system, there is little attention paid to CX or UX. Healthcare experiences are generally cumbersome, fractured and episodic. This is an industry that is ready for unification and consolidation—it’s time for the platformization of healthcare.
“Healthcare organizations must adopt a platform-centric model to close the gap between the disjointed consumer experience in healthcare and the user-friendly, seamless interactions that platforms offer in other industries.”
Insight No. 3: the platformization of healthcare will unlock incredible benefits
For organizations, platformization can enable new business models, build patient and member loyalty with engagement 365 days a year and improve health outcomes via population health management capabilities that were previously unimaginable. For individuals, it can provide a single destination for managing all their health and wellness needs. Personalization at scale will create dynamic health journeys that guide individuals to the next best action that addresses their specific needs.
“Platformization is the key to enabling next-generation healthcare consumer experiences. This user experience empowers consumers to make the right decisions for their health—keeping them engaged and, ultimately, allowing them to enjoy better outcomes.”
To learn more about the role of platformization in healthcare, read Michael Serbinis’s article in Forbes.
Becker’s Healthcare
Learn why the future of healthcare CX requires a platform approach.