Market Shaping
Overview
Market Shaping is an operating pattern where healthcare organizations actively design and govern an internal or external marketplace of solutions where providers compete on quality, user experience, and price rather than on switching costs and vendor lock-in.
Key Principles
- Interoperability: Solutions are designed to work together, not create silos
- Open standards: Common interfaces reduce lock-in and switching costs
- Competition on merits: Vendors win through better UX and lower price, not through lock-in
- Network effects: More participation increases value for all participants
- Dynamic evolution: The market naturally selects for better solutions
Why This Pattern?
Traditional vendor lock-in and closed systems lead to stagnation, high costs, and poor user experience. Market Shaping creates healthy competition that drives innovation while maintaining interoperability.
Implementation Considerations
- Define clear technical standards and APIs
- Create incentives for interoperability
- Monitor market concentration and encourage competition
- Build tools and platforms that work with multiple vendors
- Establish clear data ownership and portability rights