Now this is intriguing. On MedCityNews today, Veronica Combs outlines why singer/rapper/inventor will.i.am, who participated in a panel at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, should be working with health-companies to better "connect with 21st century patients and reshape the business model." Among the reasons:
He has been through the complete evolution of an industry and figured out how to thrive in the world of no more record stores and digital music.
When [Jeff Jordan of Andreessen Horowitz] asked about his consulting work, will.i.am described his Ekocycle project with Coke to recycle plastic water bottles into jeans, headphones, and an iPhone case. “Certainly it’s not the first time that someone has turned plastic water bottles into [shoes], but those shoes were ugly,” he said smiling. “Let’s go backward, let’s design with tastemaking and disruption in mind.”
This is exactly what the healthcare in general needs. The old business model is being systematically dismantled by patients’ access to data, the trend toward outcomes based care, and increasing transparency around cost and effectiveness. The changes are not happening fast enough.
Will.i.am could help device makers understand their customers better and how to make elegant design part of the entire process. He could provide the power of celebrity to people who are doing this already with diabetes monitors...
Previously: Rethinking diabetes management and care, ePatients discuss the “healing process” of IDEO Design Challenge at Medicine X and Image of the Week: Michael Graves discusses redesigning the hospital room
Via @wingofzock
