Reverse Innovation: Circumvent Digital Health Transformation Issues

Abstract

Exponential technologies are generally described as something that will in a given time period double data generation/evaluation and/or half the associated cost with it. A Medical technology example is the cost of genome sequencing that has dropped from millions to thousands and now to under USD 1.000 within a little more than a decade. In many other areas, there is a potential and hope that certain technologies could lead to significant clinical knowledge gains and procedure improvements combined with dramatic cost reductions and increased clinical and patient satisfaction. Specifically the increasing life expectancy and the aging societies in combination with less and less available healthcare staff, ever-increasing cost associated with healthcare delivery/products and services, or the inequalities between rural and urban areas, particularly in developing nations, need to be addressed urgently. This paper will discuss some developments with a particular focus on reverse innovation, where new technologies and delivery approaches will be implemented in areas with existing health access inequalities or limited access, low quality of health service, and other urging needs (e.g., general availability and cost issues). A desire of a local government to increase population-, public-, and individual- health by allowing access of new tools despite missing regulatory approval would additionally be helpful.