Evaluation of Chinese healthcare organizations' innovative performance in the digital health era

Abstract

BackgroundHealthcare workers' relationship with industry is not merely an agent mediating between consumer and vendor, but they are also inventors of the interventions they exist to deliver. Driven by the background of the digital health era, scientific research and technological (Sci-tech) innovation in the medical field are becoming more and more closely integrated. However, scholars shed little light on Sci-tech relevance to evaluate the innovation performance of healthcare organizations, a distinctive feature of healthcare organizations' innovation in the digital health era.MethodsAcademic publications and patents are the manifestations of scientific research outputs and technological innovation outcomes, respectively. The study extracted data from publications and patents of 159 hospitals in China to evaluate their innovation performance. A total of 18 indicators were constructed, four of which were based on text similarity match and represented the Sci-tech relevance. We then applied factor analyses, analytical hierarchy process, and logistic regression to construct an evaluation model. We also examined the relationship between hospitals' innovation performance and their geographical locations. Finally, we implemented a mediation analysis to show the influence of digital health on hospital innovation performance.ResultsA total of 16 indicators were involved, four of which represented the Sci-tech including the number of articles matched per patent (NAMP), the number of patents matched per article (NPMA), the proportion of highly matched patents (HMP), and the proportion of highly matched articles (HMA). Indicators of HMP (r = 0.52, P = 2.40 × 10−12), NAMP (r = 0.52, P = 2.54 × 10−12), and NPMA (r = 0.51, P = 5.53 × 10−12) showed a strong positive correlation with hospital innovation performance score. The evaluation model in this study was different from other Chinese existing hospital ranking systems. The regional innovation performance index (RIP) of healthcare organizations is highly correlated with per capita disposable income (r = 0.58) and regional GDP (r = 0.60). There was a positive correlation between digital health innovation performance scores and overall hospital innovation performance scores (r = 0.20). In addition, the hospitals' digital health innovation performance affected the hospital's overall innovation score with the mediation of Sci-tech relevance indicators (NPMA and HMA). The hospitals' digital health innovation performance score showed a significant correlation with the number of healthcare workers (r = 0.44).ConclusionThis study constructed an assessment model with four invented indicators focusing on Sci-tech relevance to provide a novel tool for researchers to evaluate the innovation performance of healthcare organizations in the digital health era. The regions with high RIP were concentrated on the eastern coastal areas with a higher level of economic development. Therefore, the promotion of scientific and technological innovation policies could be carried out in advance in areas with better economic development. The innovations in the digital health field by healthcare workers enhance the Sci-tech relevance in hospitals and boost their innovation performance. The development of digital health in hospitals depends on the input of medical personnel.

Coopetition, exploration and exploitation capabilities, and growth performance in digital healthcare ventures

“…Dependent variable-growth performance: recognising the limited applicability of traditional financial indicators to digital healthcare ventures, which often exhibit shorter lifespans and substantial initial investments, this construct focuses on metrics such as sales and profit growth rates as more indicative of success ( 65 , 78 ). The scale by Wang et al ( 91 ) was used, yielding a Cronbach’s α of 0.789, indicating good reliability.…”

“…Ventures explore data resources’ potential through analytics, utilise big data to anticipate market trends and user needs, uncover new opportunities, and offer personalised, customised, and experiential digital healthcare services, culminating in exceptional service experiences ( 4 ). Ventures proficient in exploration thrive in the complex, dynamic, diverse, and uncertain digital healthcare landscape, ultimately improving growth performance ( 63 , 78 ). Ferreira et al ( 73 ) found that strategic alliances, as one of the main realisations of coopetition strategies, provide new ventures with access to additional resources and knowledge, enabling them to pursue business opportunities that would otherwise be unreachable.…”

“…They particularly exploit the value of expansive, multi-source, heterogeneous, and high-dimensional patient behavioral data to improve application capabilities. This data is invaluable for patient relationship management, and ventures quickly adapt their offerings based on user feedback to meet the functional needs of convenience, affordability, and efficiency, thereby increasing patient satisfaction and loyalty ( 78 ). Seepana et al ( 75 ) highlighted coopetition is particularly associated with managerial ambidexterity, translating combinations of resources and capabilities into potential performance benefits.…”

“…This ability positions ventures for growth, particularly in uncertain climates. High environmental uncertainty risks rendering current offerings obsolete and stifling innovation if ventures adhere to the status quo ( 78 ). To stay ahead, digital healthcare ventures must eschew inertia, escape the “success trap,” and actively harness technologies like healthcare big data to tap into the value of new knowledge and resources, thereby developing fresh markets and innovative digital healthcare solutions that prioritize patient comfort and satisfaction ( 63 ).…”

“…In environments with lower uncertainty, ventures face higher risks and costs associated with an innovation model rooted in exploitation capability, which can impede the sustainability of high R&D investment in new products and technologies ( 63 ). In such scenarios, ventures may benefit from refining existing digital healthcare products, services, and technologies, as well as improving the reliability of current solutions to reduce costs ( 62 , 78 ). Wang et al ( 35 ) postulated that firms tend to pursue more aggressive strategies and innovations in less certain environments.…”