Delivery of preventive healthcare in northwest Indiana--toward co-creating value

Kavitha Rabindran, Purdue University

Abstract

The medically underserved population in Northwest Indiana has persistently faced healthcare challenges despite a significant presence of healthcare services. The cohort faces several financial and systemic barriers in healthcare access. Mobile health services are one way to address accessibility and have been used to provide care for hard-to-reach segments. Extant literature shows that mobile health unit is typically perceived in the tactical role for a specific health issue, such as screening for HIV/STD or breast cancer. This study takes a strategic perspective in examining the role of a mobile health unit in healthcare delivery, specifically preventive healthcare, which has come to the fore in recent times with major policy changes as well as designation of financial resources. Further, this study examines this research question through the lens of cocreation of value. Co-creation of value is value that is jointly created by multiple stakeholders. This perspective is customer-centric where the customer is treated as an active partner and not as a partial employee in service delivery. This research adapts the Payne et al., (2008) framework to the context of preventive healthcare and incorporates empirical data from both customers’ and suppliers’ perspectives. A two-phased exploratory research method was used in this study. The first phase involved extensive secondary data research for contextual familiarity and health needs assessment. The second phase involved primary research through depth interviews and focus groups. Data for this study was collected from the medically underserved population and the principal agents who served them. This research contributes to the co-creation of value framework by proposing an additional layer of ‘process facilitators’ at both the customer’s and the supplier’s end and which serves to enhance the customer relationship experience and learning. The key finding is that a mobile health unit has the potential to address the health concerns and needs of this cohort, through seeking to modify the target segment’s process facilitators, namely, mobility, information and support. The mobile health unit has the capacity to address them through outreach, informing and educating, and providing support by establishing a regular presence in the lives of this cohort.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Liu, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Marketing|Health care management|Education

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