Platform Business Models in Healthcare: Navigating Interoperability, Data, and Patient Experience

The healthcare industry is at a pivotal moment. The explosion of digital health data—from electronic health records (EHRs) and wearables to genomics and remote monitoring—offers unprecedented opportunities to transform care delivery, improve outcomes, and drive operational efficiency. Yet, the promise of digital medicine and AI-driven insights remains constrained by foundational challenges: fragmented legacy systems, data silos, and platforms that were never designed for seamless interoperability or patient-centricity. To unlock the full value of digital health, healthcare organizations must embrace platform thinking—reimagining their digital infrastructure to enable interoperability, data readiness, and experiences that put patients at the center.

The Case for Platform Thinking in Healthcare

Healthcare’s digital landscape is a patchwork of platforms: EHRs, telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, claims management, pharmacy systems, and more. Each serves a critical function, but collectively, they add complexity and friction for patients, providers, and payers alike. Unlike industries such as travel or retail, where platforms have enabled seamless, personalized experiences, healthcare’s legacy systems often hinder innovation and frustrate users. Over 30% of all data generated today comes from healthcare, yet much of it remains locked in silos, inaccessible or unusable for coordinated care or advanced analytics.

The next generation of healthcare platforms must move beyond this fragmentation. They must be designed as ecosystems—interoperable, flexible, and capable of integrating data from EHRs, wearables, remote monitoring devices, and even genomics. This is not just a technical challenge; it is a strategic imperative for organizations seeking to deliver value-based care, improve outcomes, and accelerate innovation.

Overcoming Technical, Organizational, and Regulatory Barriers

1. Interoperability: Breaking Down Data Silos

Interoperability is the linchpin of digital transformation in healthcare. While standards like FHIR and initiatives such as TEFCA are making progress, true interoperability requires more than data exchange. It demands standardized structures, robust data governance, and a platform mindset that prioritizes openness and connectivity. Leading EHR vendors are beginning to open up their ecosystems, but organizations must go further—adopting modern architecture principles that enable seamless integration across clinical, administrative, and patient-facing systems.

2. Data Readiness: Laying the Foundation for AI and Analytics

AI and advanced analytics can only be as effective as the data they consume. Many healthcare organizations, even those with sophisticated technical capabilities, struggle with data that is fragmented, inconsistent, or poorly governed. Achieving AI-readiness involves three key phases:

Data Collection and Organization: Aggregating relevant data from across the enterprise, ensuring it is well-structured, labeled, and accessible.
Quality and Governance: Establishing clear standards for data cleanliness, relevance, and security, supported by robust governance processes.
Sustained Improvement: Implementing feedback loops, quality controls, and cross-functional collaboration to maintain and enhance data quality over time.

Investing in data readiness delivers immediate operational benefits—improved efficiency, better decision-making, and cost savings—while laying the groundwork for future AI-driven innovation.

3. Patient-Centric Design: Reimagining the Healthcare Experience

True digital transformation in healthcare is not just about technology; it’s about rethinking the patient journey. The next-generation platform must be designed around the needs, preferences, and lived experiences of patients. This means:

Personalized, Seamless Experiences: Integrating digital tools that allow patients to find providers, manage appointments, access records, and make payments effortlessly across channels.
Care Anywhere: Supporting virtual care, remote monitoring, and digital-first interactions that meet patients where they are—at home, at work, or on the go.
Holistic, Value-Based Care: Enabling care teams to coordinate across specialties and settings, leveraging interoperable data to deliver preventive, personalized, and outcomes-focused care.

Actionable Guidance for Healthcare Leaders

To build the next-generation healthcare platform, organizations should:

Anchor Strategy in a Clear Vision: Define the organization’s long-term goals—whether vertical integration, horizontal expansion, or a focus on value-based care—and align platform investments accordingly.
Adopt Modern, Agile Architecture: Move away from monolithic, bespoke systems toward modular, cloud-native platforms that can evolve incrementally and support rapid innovation.
Invest in Data Governance and AI-Readiness: Prioritize data quality, structure, and governance as foundational capabilities. Engage cross-functional teams to define standards, implement quality controls, and foster data literacy across the organization.
Embrace Interoperability and Openness: Leverage industry standards (FHIR, HL7) and participate in data exchange initiatives (TEFCA, QHINs) to enable secure, real-time data sharing across the ecosystem.
Design for the Patient, Not the System: Involve patients and care teams in service design, focusing on reducing friction, supporting digital-first interactions, and aligning care delivery with patient goals and life context.
Balance Innovation with Compliance: View regulatory requirements not as barriers, but as opportunities to drive quality, safety, and positive experiences. Build platforms that are secure, privacy-conscious, and adaptable to evolving policy landscapes.

Best Practices and Exemplars

Hub-and-Spoke Models: Organizations like the University of Mississippi Medical Center have leveraged digital platforms to connect rural providers with specialists, improving outcomes and reducing unnecessary transfers.
Integrated Virtual Care: Startups and innovators are designing digital-first clinics and health plans that use data and technology to deliver highly personalized, coordinated care—often achieving superior outcomes in chronic disease management and patient engagement.
Collaborative Hubs: Integrated service hubs, such as those on the Isle of Wight, demonstrate the power of bringing together diverse health and social care teams within a unified digital platform to drive innovation and resource optimization.

The Road Ahead: Accelerating Innovation at Scale

The digital health revolution is here, but its full potential will only be realized when healthcare organizations move beyond incremental improvements and embrace platform thinking. By investing in interoperable, AI-ready, patient-centric platforms, providers and payers can deliver seamless experiences, support value-based care, and accelerate the pace of innovation. The journey is complex, but the rewards—better outcomes, lower costs, and a healthcare system truly designed around the individual—are within reach.

At Publicis Sapient, we partner with healthcare leaders to architect, build, and scale the next generation of digital health platforms. Our expertise in platform strategy, data governance, and digital experience design empowers organizations to break free from legacy constraints and lead the transformation toward a more connected, patient-centered future.