Applying Platforming Concept in Healthcare Services Development: Comparison, Issues, and Future Research

While developing product platforms for designing product families is effectively applied in the manufacturing industry, this platforming concept is rarely employed in the healthcare industry, hospitals in particular. In view of the lack of structured approaches to developing healthcare services, this study proposes the adaptation of the platforming concept to develop healthcare platforms for designing healthcare families in hospitals, in hopes of improving hospitals’ business performance. It first examines make-to-order (MTO) firms, where platforms are developed for designing product families, and hospitals with respect to work environments and performance requirements. Based on the many similarities between MTO firms and hospitals, it concludes that developing healthcare platforms and designing the corresponding healthcare service families in hospitals is promising. As initial efforts, this study also provides some general guidelines for planning healthcare platforms and discusses the related issues in detail. In accordance with the characteristics of delivering healthcare services in hospitals and the application of the platforming concept in MTO firms, it identifies a number of potential future research issues and topics pertaining to developing healthcare platforms for designing healthcare service families.