Find the way out of SoLoMo

For the first post of the year, NayaMed wants to wish a successful new year to all readers. We hope that 2012 will be the year of light.

Before the very beneficial Christmas break, we attended to a conference about the “WEB”: LeWeb’11 in Paris. The purpose was to see if the actual trends of the web can be applied or transposed within the Health Industry. It was half disappointing and half promising. It was disappointing because the “Web” actors, who were presenting their solutions or their competences, tend to intellectually think in a circle. But also it was promising because a lot of web opportunities can be transposed within the Health Industry (incl. Medical devices).

There is one acronym that you have to master if you want to impress your colleague during a meeting: SoLoMo. I think this word has been pronounced about 2’000 times during the conference. It stands for “SOcial, LOcal and MObile”. It is the actual circle that web actors are currently in: “I have a new web solution about social!” – “I have an idea for a web solution about local!” – “Come and see my solution that is social and local!”…. It was amazing to be the witness of junior companies, getting funded with millions of dollars, presenting their solutions around basically one single business model. Hopefully, I have to mention it, the presence of Mr. George Colony and Mr. Jeremiah Owyang did make the trip worth.

If now we think “SoLoMo” in the Health/Medical device industry, we can see initiatives blooming around. Let’s do the exercise together by imagining what kind of Web Services could be implemented (and generate millions of dollars????).

What does “SoLoMo” mean for patients?
– Social: Getting people together around the same disease in order to share experience and seeking for comfort,… (and no, I don’t think about facebook)
– Local: Finding appropriate treatment close to patient,…
– Mobile: Ensuring the follow up of doctor’s instructions,…

What does “SoLoMo” mean for hospital/clinics?
– Social: Leveraging community of experts,…
– Local: Enhance patients management admission,…
– Mobile: Manage “on-the-go” hospital inventory,…

What does “SoLoMo” mean for medical devices companies?
– Social: Gathering smart people together around a co-creation initiative,…
– Local: Getting localized 24/7 support and access to expertise,…
– Mobile: Manage “on-the-go” inventory,…

As per the demonstration above, it is a matter of point of view that web-trendy solutions can evolve within the Health industry. The world is changing continually. Our behavior, as individual and as companies, is influenced by technology and people around us. The “web” brings a lot of values to the industries: reducing distribution cost; getting access whenever to whatever; bringing people together; proposing answers to any kind of questions…. We are depending on the intelligence of some key people to think outside the circle and bringing solutions with real added value.

At NayaMed, our main focus is to shape the future by offering added value online services to our customers. We want those services to be social, local and mobile and open.

Frederic Briguet

NayaMed Head of eBusiness