Publications

11 Aug 2016
News

Finalists Announced in Harvard Business School-Harvard Medical School Health Acceleration Challenge

10 Aug 2021
Blog Post

Meet the Health & Wellness Club

Our Mission Our mission is to establish a community at Harvard Business School for individuals who are interested in exploring health and wellness trends and connecting with... View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Health Care; Health Care

July–September 2020
Article

Innovation Contest: Effect of Perceived Support for Learning on Participation

By: Olivia Jung, Andrea Blasco and Karim R. Lakhani

Background: Frontline staff are well positioned to conceive improvement opportunities based on first-hand knowledge of what works and does not work. The innovation contest may be a relevant and useful vehicle to elicit staff ideas. However, the success of the... View Details

Keywords: Contest; Innovation; Employee Engagement; Organizational Learning; Health Care; Health Care Delivery; Innovation and Invention; Organizations; Learning; Employees; Perception; Health Care and Treatment

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August 2013 (Revised August 2014)
Case

Aon Hewitt's Private Health Insurance Exchange

By: Regina E. Herzlinger, Aiden Y. Feng and Meghan D. Oliver

Aon Hewitt, a leading health insurance broker and consultant, is one of the first movers in forming exchanges to sell health insurance. What kinds of products should it offer on this exchange? View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Insurance

April 2013
Article

Setting Health Priorities: Strategy versus Tactics

By: Michael Chu, David E. Bloom and Elizabeth Cafiero

Health decision makers throughout the world are faced with a multiplicity of challenges. As resource limitations are a fundamental fact of life, choices necessarily have to be made about which challenges to address, and the best way to tackle them. In this piece, we... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Decision Making; Health Care and Treatment; Problems and Challenges; Health Industry

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June 2011 (Revised August 2011)
Case

Colgate-Palmolive: Staying Ahead in Oral Care

By: Rebecca M. Henderson and Ryan Johnson

In 2011, Colgate-Palmolive (Colgate) was the global leader in oral care, with a dominant market share lead in toothpaste and a growing presence in toothbrushes and mouthwash. However, the firm faced stiff competition with perennial rivals P&G increasing their focus on... View Details

Keywords: Innovation Strategy; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Distribution Channels; Relationships; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Customization and Personalization; Health Industry

November 2016 (Revised February 2017)
Case

CVS Health: Redefining the Value Proposition

By: Michael E. Porter, Jorge Ramirez-Vallejo and Alexandra Houghtalin

This case explores how a company can use shared value as a lens to think about competition and strategy choices in a challenging and evolving industry. The case takes a historical look at the structure of the retail pharmacy industry and the changing nature of rivalry... View Details

Keywords: Shared Value; Pharmacy; Health Care; Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Retail Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

February 2014
Teaching Note

Community Health Workers in Zambia: Incentive Design and Management

By: Nava Ashraf and Kristin Johnson

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Training; Health Care and Treatment; Compensation and Benefits; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Mission and Purpose; Non-Governmental Organizations; Motivation and Incentives; Health Industry; Zambia

November 2016 (Revised April 2017)
Case

Hygeia Group: Delivering Quality Care in Nigeria

By: Robert F. Higgins and Ifedayo O. Kuye

Fola Laoye is the Group Managing Director of Hygeia Group, a Nigerian healthcare insurer and provider, and she is deciding on the optimal strategy to grow the provider arm of her business. Hygeia Group was founded in the 1980s by her physician parents, and although... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare; Healthcare Industry; Hospitals; Nigeria; Health Care and Treatment; Growth and Development Strategy; Health Industry; Nigeria

March 2021 (Revised January 2022)
Case

Philips: Redefining Telehealth

By: Regina E. Herzlinger, Alec Petersen, Natalie Kindred and Sara M. McKinley

As one of the world’s largest healthcare companies, Philips sought to reach beyond the walls of the hospital and expand its hospital-to-home program to gain future competitive advantage through technology solutions combining predictive analytics with care delivery. By... View Details

March 2014
Editorial

Limits on Use of Health Economic Assessments for Rare Diseases

By: Hanna I. Hyry, Ariel Dora Stern, Jonathan CP Roos and Timothy M. Cox

Funding of expensive treatments for rare ('orphan') diseases is contentious. These agents fare poorly on 'efficiency' or health economic measures, such as the QALY, because of high cost and frequently poor gains in quality of life and survival. We show that... View Details

Keywords: Cost; Health Disorders; Health Care and Treatment; Pharmaceutical Industry

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Person Page

Comments on my health

February 22, 2010

The doctors have been pleasantly surprised that I have responded to therapy better than they would have imagined. I have been greatly blessed through the miracle of medical science. I also attribute doing better to the faith and prayers... View Details

July 1991 (Revised July 1993)
Case

Alliant Health System: A Vision of Total Quality

Alliant has been a leader in the health care industry in implementing total quality management. After five years, however, they do not have much to show for their efforts except a "foundation" of quality attitudes and processes. The case discusses their plans to "jump... View Details

Keywords: Quality; Management Practices and Processes; Information Technology; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry

January 2014 (Revised June 2014)
Case

23andMe: Genetic Testing for Consumers (A)

By: John A. Quelch and Margaret L. Rodriguez

On November 22, 2013, the direct-to-consumer genetic testing provider, 23andMe, received a letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordering the company to halt the sale and promotion of its genetic testing kit. The FDA stated that the product was... View Details

Keywords: Public Health; Genome Testing; Health Care; Ancestry; 23andMe; Marketing; Product Launch; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Health Testing and Trials; Genetics; Strategy; Health Industry; United States

September 2019
Technical Note

Care Economy in the U.S. (Primer)

By: Joseph B. Fuller, William R. Kerr, Manjari Raman and Carl Kreitzberg

This case describes how caregiving responsibilities influence American employees, firms, and the broader economy. It details how sociodemographic trends in the late 20th century transformed the way that Americans balance their personal and professional lives, analyzing... View Details

Keywords: Human Resources; Talent and Talent Management; Demographics; Labor; Health Care and Treatment; Family and Family Relationships; Strategy; Management; United States