Authors:
Marcia Nißen
1
;
2
;
Raphael Beuter
2
;
Marek Rydzewski
3
and
Jeremias Pappert
3
Affiliations:
1
School of Medicine, University of St.Gallen, St. Jakob-Strasse 21, St.Gallen, Switzerland
;
2
Centre for Digital Health Interventions, University of Zurich, University of St.Gallen, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
;
3
BARMER, Berlin, Germany
Keyword(s):
Digital Health, Digital Health Technologies, DHTs, Non-Communicable Diseases, Chronic Diseases, Health Insurance Companies, Startups, Health Equity, Gender-Specific Design.
Abstract:
This position paper explores the transformative potential of digital health technologies (DHTs) in addressing non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) and raises the question of which role health insurance companies play in shaping a healthcare landscape to embrace DHTs. Drawing from a semi-structured interview with two experts from the second-largest health insurer in Germany and supported by public industry reports, newspaper articles, and legal texts, this paper discusses three key dimensions: First, this paper challenges the metaphor of DHTs as “digital pills”, emphasizing that the success of digital medicine in addressing NCDs depends on active patient engagement, long-term intervention adherence, and actual lifestyle changes in peoples’ everyday lives, echoing challenges of analog, traditional medicine. Second, we delve into the promises of DHTs in improving individual healthcare access and health equity through gender-specific, bias-free design. Lastly, the paper elaborates on
how health insurance companies operate in their roles as non-profit-oriented (a) co-developers, (b) investors, and (c) catalysts of DHT innovations on a societal scale. In conclusion, this paper sheds light on some of the critical dynamics of shaping digital health ecosystems and health insurance’s profound impact in paving the way for DHTs.
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