What we have heard

What was left unsaid

Implications for the Future

The Challenges & Solutions

Ideas, Ideas and more Ideas

Outline

The Promise of mHealth

•  mHealth is a rare opportunity

•  Expectations are high for mHealth from patients, health services providers, technology sector and the state

•  Patients are excited about the technology, particularly young age groups

•  High impact solutions are already known

•  Technology is not the answer but only a vehicle

•  Cost-effectiveness and Impact are still elusive

The Bad News

•  Lack of coherence

•  Collaboration vs. Co-operation

•  Communication vs. Co-ordination

•  Cost-effectiveness vs. Impact

•  No Business Case

•  Lighthouse vs. Scalability

•  Where is the money?

The Good News

•  Great buy-in – Hi4Life

•  Interest from all players –

•  We know our challenges

•  Evidence – some pockets of success

•  Existing Infrastructure

•  Good policies and solutions

•  Potential system linkages

The Ugly News

•  Weak and fragmented health systems

•  Difficult social and structural arrangements

•  Cost remains unanswered

•  R50m invested in the industry at the moment

•  What about the healthcare workers?

•  Limited scope to date

What is clear!

•  Expectations are high

•  Diversity of interests at play

•  Expectations are high for mHealth from patients, providers and state

•  Patients are ready to adopt mHealth but where are they?

•  Solutions are already know

•  The technology question is it the key to success?

The Cost/Impact Question

Performance Impact

Cost/Effort

What Needs to Happen?

•  Clear Strategy

•  Flexible Controls

•  More and More Evidence –  mHealth is a tool not a new type of a drug

•  Change Management for Health workers

•  Resources and more resources –  Skills –  Training –  $$$$$$

Systems Thinking –Technological Perspective

•  Recognize that innovation can both create and destroy value

•  Seek to understand which factors could cause innovation to destroy value and which can create value

•  Seek to build capabilities that enable you to achieve consistently superior value creation through innovation

•  Implement mechanisms which support and sustain these capabilities

Success Factors for Managing and Regulatory mHealth

•  Don’t use traditional regulatory methods for non-traditional innovations –  Fragility –  Frustrate developers –  Too many unknowns –  Great technical uncertainties

•  Invest in Tech forecasting and Tech Mapping

•  Scenario Planning about future market and technological possibilities

•  Active idea solicitation from key stakeholders particularly payers and end-users

Classic Traps of Innovation

•  Strategy Mistakes: –  Hurdles Too, High, Scope Too Narrow –  Widen the search, broaden the scope

•  Process Mistakes: –  Controls Too Tight –  Add flexibility to planning and control systems

•  Structure Mistakes: Connections –  Too Loose, Separations Too Sharp –  Facilitate close connections between innovators and

mainstream businesses •  Skills Mistakes: Leadership Too

–  Weak, Communication Too Poor –  Select for leadership and interpersonal skills, and surround

innovators with a supportive culture of collaboration

The Colombo Questions?

•  Risk – What are kind of potential risks does mHealth pose?

•  Evidence – What underlying factors appear to make it successful?

•  Integration – What is the best structure or portfolio of mHealth interventions?

•  Impact – What is the cost-effectiveness and long-term impact?

It’s Nice to be Here!