Healthcare Consumerization

The Consumerization
of Healthcare

The eHealth communications agency

Introduction

W
e are undergoing a period of significant change in the world of
healthcare. With technological acceleration failing to impose
itself upon the industry and the mindset of its operators, it is at the same

time breaking - and in many ways expanding - the mold, forcing existing
workers to embrace the change and seize any new opportunities
that may arise.

The current process is similar to the spread of a state-of-the-art technology,
initially only accessible by professional markets given its complexity and
cost, to semi-pro and consumer markets.

This trend could be described - to use a new expression, in the hope of
rousing attention and maybe even a sense of urgency - as the

Consumerization of Healthcare.

The process starts with access to medical information - now widely
democrati ed by the vast number of possibilities created by the Internet,
followed by wellness-based tracking devices that are becoming increasingly

integrated with medical profiles. It then focuses on the future of
self-diagnosis and self-healing.
It's a difficult road ahead but one filled with opportunity. This article

touches on the trends that have already been laid out and takes a look at the

steps that lie ahead.

Copyright © 2012 Publicis Healthware International. All rights reserved 01

The dawn of the ePatient

W e live on a small,
interdependent planet
with technologies that are
speaker should never have been
there: Dave deBronkart, a
cancer patient, was supposed to
The most underutilized resource
in all of health care is the patient,
and this has to change.
enabling an increasing number die years earlier.
of people to carve out their own Give me my raw data!
destinies. What Dave recounted to the Patients have the right to
audience at TEDx, and the complete access to diagnoses
In such a world, it's hard to thirty thousand people who and a transparent view of all
imagine that the pragmatic, watched his talk online, was his their personal data.
top-down approach, channelled experience with cancer. Dave,
into precise mold with through information that he, as Dave deBronkart is certainly a
continuous roles of mediation, a patient, had found online special person: the archetypal
offers adequate resistance to from other patients, was able to ePatient. An equipped, enabled,
those who would rather take a change his own fate, going from empowered, engaged, equal,
different route. having 24 weeks to live to emancipated and expert patient.
And this, which applies in all making a full recovery. A patient "augmented" both by
markets from IT to the his motivation and by the
automotive industry, couldn't be Of course, his specific cure is Internet. But by nature, the
more true when it's our own not guaranteed to heal others. ePatient |
lives and our health at stake. But his approach, perhaps. http://en.wikipedia.org/ [...] | is
not a completely new thing, as
In July 2010, I came across this Dave's moving message can be Dave recounts:
talk | http://www.ted.com/ [...] | summed up in two simple,
from TEDx in Maastricht. universal claims:
There aren’t many videos that
have amazed me as much as this
Let patien s help!
one did. Firstly because the Patients can help themselves.

That Fall of 1969, the Whole Earth Catalog came out. [...] We think of hippies
being just hedonists, but there's a very strong component -- I was in that
movement -- a very strong component of being responsible for yourself. This book's
subtitle is: "Access to Tools." [...] Tom Ferguson was the medical editor of the
Whole Earth Catalog. And he saw that the great majority of what we do in
medicine and health care is taking care of ourselves. In fact, he said it was 70-80%
of how we actually take care of our bodies. Well he also saw that when health care
turns to medical care because of a more serious disease, the key thing that holds
us back is access to information. And when the Web came along, that changed
everything, because not only could we find information, we could find other people like ourselves who could
gather, who could bring us information. And he coined this term ePatients -- equipped, engaged,
empowered, enabled.

02 Copyright © 2012 Publicis Healthware International. All rights reserved

I believe that anyone who has ePatients (their main conference Author's note:
the opportunity - as I did in can be found here | Whenever I use the term
2010 - to meet with the author http://epatient2011.com |), are "patient," I'm referring to the
of the Whole Earth Catalog will prepared to do everything it "team of patient/caregiver." If a
understand the inspiration takes to help save their own patient is not well enough to be
behind individuals such as lives. Just like Dave. an ePatient himself, he can do it
Stewart Brand - and people like
Steve Jobs - that enabled them
“ Not an enemy of the
establishment, but another cog
through someone standing at
his side, a "proxy ePatient." The
to influence the thinking of an in an increasingly complex set of
end result is still the same: the
entire generation. Like it or not,
we owe the Hippie
gears .
” "team" that can be formed
around a disease includes at
counterculture more than we Looking at the opportunity that
think. this change creates, you could say least one ePatient.
this democratisation and
This hippie note helps consumerisation of healthcare is
emphasi e how seeing the not necessarily a bad thing.
ePatient as an insignificant role
would be a double faux pas.
Firstly, since it is an ingrained,
long-established phenomenon.
And secondly because
phenomena which benefit from
digital advancement are rapidly
approaching their tipping point
| http://en.wikipedia.org/ [...] |.


Giving ePatients this visibility of their disease through dynamic 3D
maps, which read their data and reconstruct it in an accessible
format so they can fully understand it, is opening up a new digital
world which will create significant new business opportunities for
many years to come.

As an example of something closer to home (Publicis Life Brands
Resolute UK), we recently launched a mobile application called
"Positive Vibes"
| http://youtube/4oExqVecvGk | .

Positive Vibes is a support
network, an information
source and a place to share
experiences. It's a mobile
app that will connect you to
other teenagers with cancer
who will help you through the
tough times. Positive Vibes
aims to make life with cancer
a little easier. Whenever and
wherever you need it to.

The intersection of the Internet, social media,
and mobile has created a new dynamic in healthcare.

Now there's no looking back.
But why should we see this as an opportunity?
We know more and more information is being made available
online, even on clinical treatments. Consumerisation is here, and it's
a developing process that simply cannot be ignored. And so it makes
sense to become a channel, a medium, an application for
consumerisation so that we can learn about it and jump on board.

An example of a large-scale project is | VIDEUM, Health in Any
Language |. In 2011, one in three YouTube users (32%) around the
world watched health-related videos. These videos are the sixth
most-watched category on YouTube, and - given the virtual absence
of control or adherence to applicable standards - they represent a


primitive consumerisation of engines, more reliability thanks Author's note:
video access to medical to its review process and more Each page of Videum contains
information. opportunities for healthcare the full transcription of each
providers to speak with translation available. This
VIDEUM is a project of Publicis ePatients. speeds up search engine
Healthware/dotSub (the same indexing in every available
company that translates videos Much more than just the next language.
from TED, NASA, Singularity YouTube hit, Videum is a
University, Stanford Open Edu), controlled consumerisation that
which works by integrating the has created an explosive
healthcare industry into social opportunity for the entire
media to provide translations of healthcare industry.
content while adhering to tested
models for the production,
review and controlled
distribution of information.
More distribution through
word-of-mouth and search

Author's note:
if you're still not won over by ePatients, try reading this article from O'Reilly
Radar (one of the most-followed sources in the technology industry, the bible
for start-ups and VCs in search of new trends and opportunities): Epatients:
The hackers of the healthcare world | http://radar.oreilly.com/ [...] | You can
also find the ePatients White Paper (PDF) here | http://e-patients.net/e
Patients_White_Paper.pdf |


Self-tracking is here... and it's about time

T he process of
consumerisation and new
business opportunities do n't
Self-tracking leverage
consumer technologies instead
of complex PRO medical device
which doubled since 2010.
Many major health care
companies have found
stop with ePatients. makes you the protagonist mHealth applications as being
sharing on the web, giving you an effective medium to
Besides access to information the possibility to be aware of promote and deliver health
(which is essentially the focal the feedback that your "stories" care products and services.
point of ePatients), there is the
self-tracking of one's personal
are receiving.
” More information on the
mHealth application market
well being using connected Some statistics published on can be found in the detailed
devices: more wellness than January 2012 by TechCrunch: 100 page report by
healthcare, and perhaps even (we love statistics even more Research2Guidance entitled, |
more consumerist. This is soon than forecasts) The Mobile Health Market
to be followed by the delicate Report 2011-2016 |, which
prospect of self-diagnosis and, describes the impact of
soon enough, self-healing. “ | PEW Research was
already reporting | that 17 smartphone applications on

The various aspects of this
percent of mobile phone users
were using their devices to look
the mHealth industry.
”
developing field are not clearly up health and medical Beyond the numbers, in terms
defined. ePatient applications information, and | Juniper of trends, self-tracking devices
are mainly found on mobile recently estimated | that 44 are typically well accepted by
platforms, exploiting the million health apps were patients |
enormous growth of the mobile http://mediagrinder.net/ [...] |
industry in everything from
downloaded in 2011.
” with an increasing number of
uptake and variety of devices to In monetary terms, in 2011, the models and features available.
the number and popularity of area of mobile health The image of the Apple Store in
apps. I wrote about this applications alone was worth NYC from a HEALTH
phenomenon in our sister eZine $718 MM. perspective, offering tracking
Geeks of Health: The Internet of devices for less than a hundred
Things in Healthcare |
http://www.publicishealthware.
“ A main growth fordue an
significant
reason
is
the dollars, is a huge step forward.

com/ [...] | increase of smart phone users
on the demand side, and the
“ In 2008 the number of
devices connected to the
increase of mHealth
applications on the supply side
Internet exceeded the number
of people on Earth, and we
foresee 50 billion Connected
Things in 2020. We call this
new step: The Internet of
Things. Self-tracking means
that YOU are in charge. You
are the first one to monitor
your performance/conditions.


Self-diagnosis...

F or the moment,
self-tracking and
self-diagnosis seem worlds
medical problems in space.
”
| http://medgadget.com/ [...] |

apart. While many patients are So, whether it's going to an
becoming ePatients and many expert system or a
are proactively arming remotely-connected doctor, the
themselves with tracking information will get to exactly
devices, this doesn't mean they where it needs to be: on the
want and actually know how to augmented reality display.
diagnose themselves.
As soon as these technologies
And yet, here too, technology is are launched, we find them
banging hard on the door and, consumerised on our
again, it could plant the seed of Smartphones.
doubt in our minds.
This has happened elsewhere
Technologies from the world of before. The following story
Artificial Intelligence (AI) today came as a cultural shock to me.
have access to an unimaginable In the early 2000s....
world of BigData that was
unheard of just a few years ago.
The improvement in medical
diagnostic support systems is
clearly on the rise.
Entrepreneur Henry
One [still experimental] case Ihejirika offered the so-called
that has grabbed the headlines bankruptcy expert system through
in recent weeks is described in his company Frankfort Digital
the article: "Augmented Reality Services and a series of Web sites
System Helps Astronauts operating under the names
Diagnose Medical Problems in 700law.com, Ziinet.com and
Outer Space.” others. Ziinet described the
bankruptcy service this way: Ziinet
As we may have read in the is an expert system and knows the
Geeks of Health article, law. Unlike most bankruptcy
"Stairway to Healthware" | programs which are little more
http://www.publicishealthware. than customized word processors,
“
com/ [...] | Nothing in Space, the Ziinet engine is an expert
is as easy as it is on Earth.
” system. It knows bankruptcy laws
Per questo motivo... The
“
European Space Agency (ESA) is
right down to those applicable to
the state in which you live. Now
working on an augmented you no longer need to spend weeks
reality system that will help studying bankruptcy laws.
astronauts better diagnose


Following a trial that eventually that expand upon projects like Behind this is a specific business
went in favour of the software the symptom checkers of idea: the new partnership
designed by Henry Ihejirka, the
bankruptcy court in a | Feb. 27
WebMD |
http://symptoms.webmd.com/
“ between insurance giant
WellPoint Inc (US largest insurer
decision | , affirmed: [...] | and Mayo Clinic | by membership). and IBM. The
http://www.mayoclinic.com/ [...] company, with 34.2 million
Frankfort’s system touted | linking them not to medical members in 14 states, also said
its offering of legal advice and exam results carefully recorded Watson will not be used to make
projected an aura of expertise by the patient from some decisions about reimbursing
concerning bankruptcy automatically searchable third patients or doctors for the cost of
petitions; and, in that context, it party, but to the user's own treatments.
offered personalized -- albeit self-tracking data. Physicians really need tools to
automated -- counsel. ... We get better quality answers, said
find that because this was the In this scenario, intelligence is Lori Beer, a WellPoint executive
conduct of a non-attorney, it provided by the giants. Systems vice president in charge of the
constituted the unauthorized such as IBM's Watson integrate initiative. We see this as a tool
practice of law. Nuance's speech recognition to help them be more successful
and speech synthesis technology in driving better outcomes for
“ As the| notes about|the case,
Wired blog 27B into medicine-based artificial our members. We’re not trying
Stroke 6
Ihejirika used a flesh-and-bones
intelligence programs. to replace the physician.
”
attorney for his defense. From the Los Angeles Times...
But Seth at QuizLaw raises an
intriguing question: What if the Watson best known for
software had first taken and defeating “Jeopardy!” quiz
passed the California bar champions on the popular
exam?
” television game show this year,
can sift through millions of pages
Whereas ten years ago software
of data and produce diagnoses
that gave legal advice was
virtually on the spot. “IBM's
blocked by a Court of Justice
not because it would make Watson supercomputer to give
mistakes, but because it wasn't a instant medical diagnoses” |
qualified professional, I think http://latimesblogs.latimes.
we will soon be seeing solutions com/ [...] |


And the facts speak for work? Do we throw away our
themselves... smartphones just because
“ Watson will be able to
analyze 1 million books, or
they're out of coverage? No.
We improve them.
roughly 200 million pages of
information, and provide
responses in less than three
seconds.
”
The Watsons of this world are
being connected to self-tracking
devices chosen independently
on the consumer market by
patients. Like with this
partnership between Body
Media and IBM to help
“
patients meet their personal
fitness and weight loss goals by
integrating biofeedback features
into the Body Media FIT
Armband. |
”
http://www.imedicalapps.com/
[...] |

This is no longer in the future -
it's already happening.

From a futurologist's
perspective, I would like to add:

“ At some point, with
Google Cars driving
themselves along the
highway, the average
Joe will find it hard to
entrust a diagnosis simply
to human experts.
”
Self-drive cars could be upon us
within 10-15 years. For now, the
biggest boundaries are cost and
legal constraints rather than the
actual technology. Of course,
there will always be boundaries.
But how many things do we use
that in certain contexts don't


Self-healing...

I saved this last section for a
link to the site of the NEXT
REMOTO. 3D printing |
“ A San Diego company "print"
developing technology to
is

artificial blood vessels for
http://www.3dsystems.com/ [...] transplant. The initial goal:
| is already widely used in Create an arterial graft for use
healthcare. We regularly print in coronary bypass surgery.
medical models, surgical The long-term goal is to solve
guides, hearing aids, dental problems in medical therapy
applications and implantable that can't be solved otherwise,
devices. especially in organ transplants,
where tens of thousands of
We can soon get used to the people are waiting for donated
idea of printing out an organs, said Keith Murphy, CEO
orthopaedic prosthesis at home.
|
of the company, Organovo. |
http://www.informationweek.
”
http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com com/ [...] |
[...] |

We're even looking down a
microscope and learning how to
print artificial blood!


Conclusions

I nformation, tracking,
self-diagnosis and
of its main focus: the patient.

self-healing are the steps which,
in rapid succession, are and will
“ Twenty major drugs are setfew
go off patent whitin the next
to

soon be taken on and subject to years, pushing big pharma into a
change. Today we're still in the new era of R&D. This time with
early stages with ePatients, the patient and the internet
which, having inspired a whole
new category of digital
included in.
”
communication projects, is Few things have given me as
creating massive opportunities much enjoyment as the lyrical
for innovation. waxing of Dave deBronkart in
his ePatient rap, a cancer
The next stage, self-tracking, is survivor singing in sunglasses
already affecting the very from the TED stage to make our
definition of the medical device, world a better place.
generating a vast market of
"medical" devices run by As a technologist and designer
consumers. (who you may have read in
Geeks of Health), I can barely
Self-tracking and self-healing hide my excitement at the new
are yet to arrive, but failing to innovations being made
embrace these as new areas of possible by this evolutionary Roberto
development could lead to phenomenon. Ascione
inadequate strategies being President
implemented by ageing medical
stalwarts.
Let’s roberto.ascione@publicishealthware.com

2012, is the real 'annus
horribilis' for patent expiries |
http://www.pharmatimes.com/
Rock! Leandro
Agrò
Global Director
[...] | User Experience
leandro.agro@publicishealthware.com
And in the next few years, most
"generic" drug patents are set to
expire, a crisis which - based on Kristin
the Japanese assimilation of risk Milburn
and opportunity - will fall right General Manager USA
into our laps.
kristin.milburn@publicishealthware.com

To say that nothing is
happening would be impossible, Ariel
as the very perception of health Salmang
is already shifting in the mind International Digital
Communications Director
ariel.salmang@publicishealthware.com


Articles of interest
Digitizing Health Records, Before It Was Cool
http://www.nytimes.com/ [...]

Money Ball for Medicine – Business Models for Healthcare
http://techcrunch.com/ [...]

Mobile Technology Is Transforming The Health Industry, But To What Extent?
http://techcrunch.com/ [...]

Pharma forecasting: The changing role of patients
http://social.eyeforpharma.com/ [...]

Images Source
http://www.wholeearth.com/uploads/2/Image/covers/thumbs-md/md-fall-1968-1010-cover.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/epatient/6165899583/in/set-72157627589096497

http://cdn.medgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/augmented-reality-for-medicine-in-space1.jpg

http://cdn.medgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/augmented-reality-for-space-medicine.jpg

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0153918af1c7970b-pi

http://cdn.imedicalapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/BodyMediaFIT01-e1326846292212.jpg

http://euclidgroup.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/print1-popup.jpg?w=594&h=250&crop=1

12 Copyright © 2012 Publicis Healthware International. All right reserved

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