Delivering eHealthcare: A Perspective on Opportunities, Challenges, and Information Gaps

The growth of eHealth has implications for a range of industries and stakeholders. In this paper we explore eHealth as a solution to the problems posed generally by rising healthcare costs and specifically by aging populations. We propose that the landscape of healthcare delivery and associated driving forces can be characterized in terms of quality, cost, and the balance of online- versus onsite healthcare delivery. Additionally, we explore how the eHealthcare value chain network can be configured to deliver both feasible and viable eHealthcare services to the end user. This paper begins by examining the context of the evolution of healthcare and is followed by an overview of the value-chain network model that we argue should underpin any business model that is developed in the pursuit of the effective delivery of healthcare. We examine some specific value drivers of eHealthcare that result in adoption and the challenges resulting in non adoption, provide case studies, discuss the technology implications, and conclude with the directions that we anticipate being of consequence in the future.