Disruptive Innovation in the Nordic Countries’ Healthcare Systems (original) (raw)
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Understanding healthcare innovation systems: the Stockholm region case
Purpose – There is an increasing interest in understanding how innovation processes can address current challenges in healthcare. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the wider socioeconomic context and conditions for such innovation processes in the Stockholm region, using the functional dynamics approach to innovation systems (ISs). Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on triangulation using data from 16 in-depth interviews, two workshops, and additional documents. Using the functional dynamics approach, critical structural and functional components of the healthcare IS were analyzed. Findings – The analysis revealed several mechanisms blocking innovation processes such as fragmentation, lack of clear leadership, as well as insufficient involvement of patients and healthcare professionals. Furthermore, innovation is expected to occur linearly as a result of research. Restrictive rules for collaboration with industry, reimbursement, and procurement mechanisms limit entrepreneurial experimentation, commercialization, and spread of innovations. Research limitations/implications – In this study, the authors analyzed how certain functions of the functional dynamics approach to ISs related to each other. The authors grouped knowledge creation, resource mobilization, and legitimacy as they jointly constitute conditions for needs articulation and entrepreneurial experimentation. The economic effects of entrepreneurial experimentation and needs articulation are mainly determined by the stage of market formation and existence of positive externalities. Social implications – Stronger user involvement; a joint innovation strategy for healthcare, academia, and industry; and institutional reform are necessary to remove blocking mechanisms that today prevent innovation from occurring. Originality/value – This study is the first to provide an analysis of the system of innovation in healthcare using a functional dynamics approach, which has evolved as a tool for public policy making. A better understanding of ISs in general, and in healthcare in particular, may provide the basis for designing and evaluating innovation policy.
Multiple and complex changes within health care The Healthcare field means dealing with multiple, complex challenges: increase in chronic disease, aging population, implementing policies and programmes that deal with new issues, such as health promotion, aging, and social isolation, growing social and territorial inequalities in health access, cost increases in some medical treatments, new expectations for personalized services… and finally growing financial constraints that weigh on the healthcare ecosystem. Innovative responses to these challenges are numerous and include technological innovations of products and services, organisational and managerial innovations (Damanpour & Aravind, 2012), innovations in Business Models, R&D processes, governance, evaluation techniques, public regulations, and embracing new forms of mobilizing stakeholders.
Innovation in healthcare: Issues and future trends
Journal of Business Research, 2012
Despite the fact that there has been significant improvement in the healthcare industry, inefficiency still exists and little accomplished in understanding how to overcome those inefficiencies using innovation in healthcare. This study seeks to answer the following research questions. How do executives and practitioners define the term innovation in healthcare? How do healthcare organizations come up with innovative ideas and how do they make those innovative decisions? How do healthcare executives and practitioners roll out those innovative changes in their organizations? What strategies do these organizations apply toward the formulation of innovative decisions? What role does information technology play in the innovative process? The researchers conducted in-depth interviews to answer several research questions. The respondents included 21C-level healthcare executives from 15 healthcare units. Results of the decision-making processes used by these executives concerning innovation conclude with a practical model. Finally, implications for practitioners and policy makers and future trends complete the paper.
The Three-Way Pendulum of Healthcare Innovation
Biomedicine Hub, 2017
We are, understandably, forever hearing about the high cost of bringing innovative new drugs and treatments to the healthcare market, especially medicines for smaller subgroups, and the fact that member state health systems often baulk at the prices. This article will argue that such a bypassing and blocking of innovative medicines and treatments is not only counterproductive when it comes to the health of Europe's patients, but actually fails to take into account the economic arguments. The article seeks to show that the long-term benefit to patients and the economy (health means wealth) will outweigh initial costs down the line. Couple this with a smarter use of information technologies and other resources and it will be possible to get much closer to building sustainable healthcare systems in a Europe struggling under the burden of an ageing population.
Health Policy and Technology, 2016
Innovation is constantly evoked as an imperative to drive growth, however identifying an actionable and agreed upon definition that applies to different settings and purposes is not trivial. In healthcare, innovation has often been described in relation to pharmaceuticals. Defining innovation allows for proper recognition and rewarding, thus fostering present and future innovativeness in the system. Current definitions adopted by payers are focused on therapeutic added value and more specifically include clinically significant benefit, large health gains, and favorable risk-benefit balance at an acceptable cost. However, they may not be fully adequate to assess medical devices. Based on a systematic review of the academic literature in the field, we aim at summarizing acceptable definitions of innovation in relation to medical devices. Based on the innovation management and economics theory, proposed definitions have been classified according to the source of innovation, to the degree of discontinuity introduced and to the impact associated to the technology. They have also been compared with definitions adopted for drugs by main healthcare reimbursement agencies. Decision-making in healthcare often favors static allocative efficiency at the expense of incentives to innovate and obtaining valuable innovation, that is dynamic allocative efficiency. In the long run, this attitude may artificially shrink net returns from innovation and rebound on the sustainability of the
Key Items of Innovation Management in the Primary Healthcare Centres Case Study: Finland
Central European journal of public health, 2015
Trends such as aging populations, excess costs, rising public expectations, and progress in medical science and technologies point out the necessity of adaptation and development of innovation in the healthcare systems particularly in developed countries. The main objective of this article is to review diffusion of innovation in the healthcare sector. Different types of innovation, diffusion characteristics, and adoption mechanisms are the subjects that are discussed in the selected case study, Finland. Finally, the key items of innovation management in the Finnish health system are introduced. The results can be implemented in other countries as well.
Tending to innovate in Swedish primary health care: a qualitative study
BMC Health Services Research
Background: Policymakers in many countries are involved in system reforms that aim to strengthen the primary care sector. Sweden is no exception. Evidence suggests that targeted financial micro-incentives can stimulate change in certain areas of care, but they do not result in more radical change, such as innovation. The study was performed in relation to the introduction of a national health care reform, and conducted in Jönköping County Council, as the region's handling of health care reforms has attracted significant national and international interest. This study employed success case method to explore what enables primary care innovations. Methods: Five Primary Health Care Centres (PHCCs) were purposively selected to ensure inclusion of a variety of aspects, such as size, location, ownership and regional success criteria. 48 in-depth interviews with managers and staff at the recruited PHCCs were analysed using content analyses. The COREQ checklist for qualitative studies was used to assure quality standards. Results: This study identified three types of innovations, which break with previous ways of organizing work at these PHCCs: (1) service innovation; (2) process innovation; and (3) organizational innovation. A learning-oriented culture and climate, comprising entrepreneurial leadership, cross-boundary collaboration, visible and understandable performance measurements and ability to adapt to external pressure were shown to be advantageous for innovativeness. Conclusions: This qualitative study highlights critical features in practice that support primary care innovation. Managers need to consistently transform and integrate a policy "push" with professionals' understanding and values to better support primary care innovation. Ultimately, the key to innovation is the professionals' engagement in the work, that is, their willingness, capability and opportunity to innovate.
Early assessment of innovation in a healthcare setting
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 2019
ObjectivesEarly assessment can assist in allocating resources for innovation effectively and produce the most beneficial technology for an institution. The aim of the present study was to identify methods and discuss the analytical approaches applied for the early assessment of innovation in a healthcare setting.MethodsKnowledge synthesis based on a structured search (using the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases) and thematic analysis was conducted. An analytical framework based on the stage of innovation (developmental, introduction, or early diffusion) was applied to assess whether methods vary according to stage. Themes (type of innovation, study, analysis, study design, method, and main target audience) were then decided among the authors. Identified methods and analysis were discussed according to the innovation stage.ResultsA total of 1,064 articles matched the search strategy. Overall, thirty-nine articles matched the inclusion criteria. The use of methods has a tendency...
Collaborative Planning for Radical Innovation: Lessons from a Health Care Region in Denmark
2020
In this paper, we explain the challenges that emerged when a Danish region tried to employ innovation planning structures, without taking into account already existing governance paradigms in the organisation. We present a qualitative case study of a large regional health organisation in Denmark, which in 2016–2017 had the aim of fostering collaborative innovation. Drawing upon the concept of governance paradigms, we analyse how the strategic initiative and planning process, which used collaborative design thinking methods, in line with the New Public Governance paradigm, was hampered and finally rejected by managers embedded in an organisational context dominated primarily by the New Public Management and Traditional Public Administration paradigms. Innovation Planning in Hospitals Governments throughout the Western world aspire to drive public sector innovation in response to challenges such as demographic changes, fiscal constraints and rising expenditure (Bryson, Sancino, Bening...