Telehealth Business Models and Their Components: Systematic Review

Abstract

Background Telehealth technology is an excellent solution to resolve the problems of health care delivery. However, this technology may fail during large-scale implementation. As a result, business models can be used to facilitate commercialization of telehealth products and services. Objective The purpose of this study was to review different types of business models or frameworks and their components used in the telehealth industry. Methods This was a systematic review conducted in 2020. The databases used for searching related articles included Ovid, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Emerald, and ProQuest. Google Scholar was also searched. These databases and Google Scholar were searched until the end of January 2020 and duplicate references were removed. Finally, articles meeting the inclusion criteria were selected and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist was used for appraising the strengths and limitations of each study. Data were extracted using a data extraction form, and the results were synthesized narratively. Results Initially, 4998 articles were found and after screening, 23 were selected to be included in the study. The results showed that new telehealth business models were presented in 13 studies, and the applications of the existing business models were reported in 10 studies. These studies were related to different types of services, namely, telemonitoring (4 studies), telemedicine (3 studies), mobile health (3 studies), telerehabilitation (3 studies), telehealth (2 studies), assisted living technologies (2 studies), sensor-based systems (2 studies), and mobile teledermoscopy, teleradiology, telecardiology, and teletreatment (1 study related to each area). In most of the business models, value proposition, financial variables, and revenue streams were the main components. Conclusions Applying business models in the commercialization of telehealth services will be useful to gain a better understanding of the required components, market challenges, and possible future changes. The results showed that different business models can be used for different telehealth technologies in various health systems and cultures. However, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of these models in practice. Moreover, comparing the usefulness of these models in different domains of telehealth services will help identify the strengths and weaknesses of these models for future optimization.

The 4P telehealth business framework for Iran

“…In the present study, the aim was to develop a telehealth business framework for Iran. The proposed framework, which was initially derived from conducting a systematic review [ 24 ] and a qualitative study [ 27 ], was reviewed by an expert panel who believed that components, such as process reengineering and selling licenses should be removed. According to the experts, the first one was beyond the business activities, and the second one needed legal support.…”

“…Before conducting the research, the ethical approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IR.IUMS.REC.1397.1328). Initially, a systematic review was conducted, and the telehealth business models and frameworks were reviewed [ 24 ]. Then, a qualitative study were conducted, and people who were experts in medical informatics, health information management, health entrepreneurship, and telehealth business were interviewed to identify the main components of a telehealth business framework [ 27 ].…”

“…According to a systematic review conducted by Velayati et al, although there are a number of business models and frameworks that are used in the field of telehealth, they may not cover all dimensions or components of a telehealth business [ 24 ]. Therefore, developing new models and frameworks with diverse components is suggested to cover different aspects of telehealth technology [ 24 – 26 ].…”

“…According to a systematic review conducted by Velayati et al, although there are a number of business models and frameworks that are used in the field of telehealth, they may not cover all dimensions or components of a telehealth business [ 24 ]. Therefore, developing new models and frameworks with diverse components is suggested to cover different aspects of telehealth technology [ 24 – 26 ]. Some of these components are created value, key activities, key resources, key partners, licenses and permissions, product pricing, product revenue, product marketing, support services, and obtaining feedback [ 27 ].…”

Experiences of the Telemedicine and eHealth Conferences in Poland—A Cross-National Overview of Progress in Telemedicine

“…Wearable and personalized solutions are created to support remote reading from miniature, battery-powered devices with built-in intelligent algorithms, sensors and wireless connectivity to provide measurements and results that are quickly available for monitoring, review and analysis. In Poland and worldwide, constant growth trends are observed for telemedicine (hospital and outpatient use) and the eHealth and mHealth market (consumer products) [135][136][137][138][139]. 'Start-ups' implemented by specialist teams create and deliver global solutions to specific problems in various medical specialties [30,31,45,[140][141][142].…”