TITLE:
Proposal of an Innovative Business Model for Customized Production in Healthcare
AUTHORS:
Golboo Pourabdollahian, Giacomo Copani
KEYWORDS:
Business Model, Customization, Healthcare, Manufacturing
JOURNAL NAME:
Modern Economy,
Vol.5 No.13,
December
4,
2014
ABSTRACT: The growth of aging population in developed
countries necessitates a better performance of the healthcare system in order
to improve the healthy life expectancy of elderly people. Such a progress can
be achieved both through improved services and medical products. Accordingly,
providing patients with customized medical devices that are designed and
produced based on individual requirements of each patient can be seen as a
proper solution. In this regard, the emerging manufacturing technologies such an
additive manufacturing not only facilitate customized production in
healthcare sector, but also can change the role of the hospital from a solely
user to a producer. However, successful pursuit of such strategy requires
implementation of a new business model as a supporting tool. This paper aims at
proposing an innovative business model to support hospitals for customized
production in healthcare.