Publications

March 2015 (Revised February 2022)
Supplement

CV Ingenuity (B): Epilogue

By: Regina E. Herzlinger and Andrew Otazo

Duke Rohlen used a lea-nfunding, iconoclastic strategy for his start up for a drug eluding balloon for peripheral artery disease. His giant competitors were first movers. Did Duke obtain the funding he sought? How did his DEB fare versus that of his competitors? The... View Details

13 Nov 2020
News

Student Startups Help Fight COVID-19

COVID-19, there was a critical shortage of ventilators in health care settings across the globe . . . we knew we had a proven product that could help.” — Sanchay Gupta MD/MBA 2022 Cofounder, Umbulizer “Even before COVID-19, there was a... View Details

September 2006 (Revised April 2007)
Case

Medtronic Vision 2010

By: Lynda M. Applegate

Describes the company's year-long efforts to transition from a medical device company selling products to physicians for use with patients suffering chronic end-stage disease, to a medical technology company providing life-long solutions for people with chronic... View Details

Keywords: Business Plan; Transition; Decision Choices and Conditions; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Financial Management; Financing and Loans; Health Care and Treatment; Innovation and Invention; Strategic Planning; Health Industry

September 2012
Supplement

Intraoperative Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer (B)

By: Willy Shih

The intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) business at Carl Zeiss Meditec had struggled with growth since the time of the (A) case. Though the unit had grown revenues in excess of 50% and had exceeded its EBIT target, it faced several key strategic choices. Should it... View Details

Keywords: Radiotherapy; Breast Cancer; Brachytherapy; Therapeutic Radiation; Oncology; Oncology Treatment Systems; Elekta AB; Varian Medical Systems; Xoft; Electronic Brachytherapy; Intraoperative Radiotherapy; Disruptive Innovation; Health Care and Treatment; Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Health Industry; Germany

June 2010 (Revised September 2010)
Case

athenahealth: Innovating in Response to a Crisis in Healthcare

When Jonathan Bush and his partner, Todd Park, realized that their revolutionary approach to delivering clinical care was being stymied by the inefficiencies in the healthcare system and insurance red tape, they turned their proprietary technology, athenaNet, to a new... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Information Management; Innovation and Invention; Brands and Branding; Product Development; Health Industry; United States

August 2006 (Revised September 2007)
Supplement

Istituto Clinico Humanitas (C): Pronto Soccorso

By: Richard M.J. Bohmer

Follows on from the cases Istituto Clinico Humanitas (A) and (B). Describes the design and running of the new Humanitas Emergency Department. Istituto Clinico Humanitas has developed a very efficient operating system for dealing with elective (largely surgical)... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Service Operations; Service Delivery; Customer Focus and Relationships; Health Industry; Italy

March 1999 (Revised July 1999)
Case

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The

By: Richard M.J. Bohmer and Ann Winslow

Describes the death of a cancer patient in one of the nation's premier cancer treatment centers and examines the organizational and process characteristics that may have contributed to the medical error. View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Quality; Service Operations; Management Practices and Processes; Business Processes; Failure; Health Industry

01 Oct 2001
News

Industry-Related Clubs Offer Alumni a New Resource

and the HBS Health Industry Alumni Association — have established organizations to bring alumni together and provide the opportunity to share and discuss important information on industry-related issues. Bunny Ellerin (MBA '95), founder... View Details

Keywords: Health, Social Assistance; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

August 2010 (Revised February 2014)
Case

Vitalia Franchise

By: Regina E. Herzlinger and Beatriz Munoz-Seca

Cathy Hoffmann has rapidly grown her novel facilities for day care therapy for elders with mild cognitive and physical problems. But she needs to decide whether to franchise or own the next expansion. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Growth and Development Strategy; Ownership Stake; Franchise Ownership; Expansion; Health Industry; Spain

11 Sep 2018
Blog Post

Care for the Elderly: Process is More Important Than the Destination

current market. I have felt that my biggest achievement while working on this project, has been pulling together seven very diversified team members from the Harvard Public Health School, Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard... View Details

Keywords: Health Care

July – August 2011
Article

Deliberate Learning to Improve Performance in Dynamic Service Settings: Evidence from Hospital Intensive Care Units

By: I. M. Nembhard and A. L. Tucker

Dynamic service settings-characterized by workers who interact with customers to deliver services in a rapidly changing, uncertain, and complex environment (e.g., hospitals)-play an important role in the economy. Organizational learning studies in these settings have... View Details

Keywords: Experience and Expertise; Customer Focus and Relationships; Learning; Health Care and Treatment; Service Delivery; Performance Improvement; Quality; Groups and Teams; Cooperation; Health Industry

Find at Harvard

March 2015 (Revised December 2016)
Case

Philips Healthcare Latin America

By: Sunil Gupta

On a beautiful sunny afternoon in October 2013, Daniel Mazon (GMP 15), decided to take some time out of his busy schedule of the General Management Program (GMP) at the Harvard Business School to reflect on his company's situation. Mazon was the Vice President and... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare; Latin America; Organizational Structure; Salesforce Management; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry; Health Industry; Latin America