Health Tourism embraces Web3
Konstantinos Konstantinidis, M.D., Ph.D.
Director - ExCtu - addressing the Health Tourism Sector "Builder Class" (a.k.a. the "growth makers" and “developers”) by providing the infrastructure supporting economic activity and enabling the system to function
…with the associated concepts & practices and technologies
a Marketplace - owned by its Stakeholders
…with no corporate overlords and underpinned by blockchain technology
In this article, I make a case for thinking of – and regarding – Contemporary Health Tourism as marketplace owned by its stakeholders – with no corporate overlords and underpinned by blockchain technology – and to a considerable degree, characterized by token-based economics.
The same can be said of Web3 – which Contemporary Health Tourism embraces.
“Internet Century Health Tourism” is the title of the management textbook on the subject of Contemporary Health Tourism – now represented by ht8.
NOTE
Internet Century Health Tourism (ICHT), Contemporary Health Tourism and ht8 are “equivalent terms” and are used interchangeably.
The Book’s content has been broken down into two volumes.
Volume 1 (Trailblazing the Way Forward) is about the Design and Adoption (acceptance) of the Concept and Practice
Volume 2 (the Road Ahead) is about Implementation (application) of the Concept and Practice.
In the second volume of the book and in some of the published papers / articles, on Health Tourism, I intimate the direction in which I am helping the Sector to head – which is clearly towards Web3.
As is pointed out (and briefly explained) further down, both, Internet Century Health Tourism (ICHT) and Web3 were founded on the Concept and Practice of Academic Libertarianism (i.e., the existence of rules – but where these rules are not subject to any institutional authority).
And both are characterized by 3 types of Innovation (Permissionless, Combinational and Open).
Web3 is the umbrella term for concepts & practices and technologies which aim to eliminate the friction-causing “middleperson” (or the “middlething”).
Web3 is an iteration of the Internet where, amongst other things, new “decentralized” marketplaces “crop up”.
In fact, Web3 and ICHT celebrate the ascendancy of the Marketplace - owned by its Stakeholders – and in the case of Health Tourism, the declining relevance of the “destination”.
These marketplaces have no corporate overlords – and are underpinned by blockchain technology – and to a considerable degree, are characterized by token-based economics.
In token-based economics, fungible and non-fungible tokens coexist.
The three main stakeholder groups participating in ht8 (providers, consumers and investors), in addition to fiat currency, also deal in sector-specific “tokens” (HealthGeld).
See further down:
And not to be outdone, ICHT also introduced Gaming (and the Metaverse) to the Sector.
some Disambiguation
…to enable understanding and appreciation – so as to capitalize on the benefits
I claim that Web3 is Complex but not Complicated. In fact, it is “intuitive” – but it still needs to be delivered in small – digestible – bits.
Ali Yahya, former Google Brain software engineer and at the time of writing, General Partner at VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, observed, Web3 is a new scientific breakthrough that brings together ideas from computer science, finance, economics and the humanities.
As with all new frontiers, for most, during this early stage, some of the concepts & practices, technologies – and terms - associated with Web3 and ICHT will sound like voodoo – but as Olga Mack (an entrepreneur and blockchain lecturer at University of California, at Berkley) points out, like pressing a button to switch on the lights, one does not need to know how electricity is made in order to appreciate and capitalize on the benefits of the “technology”.
On a number of occasions, I have admitted that Internet Century Health Tourism (ht8) is “complex”. But then I add that it is not “complicated”. In fact, it has been designed to be practically intuitive.
Nevertheless, at this stage, like teaching a new language, it needs to be delivered in small – digestible – bits – repeated over and over again (because, as Jonathan Rosenberg, Senior Vice President, Product Management at Google, famously taught: “repetition does not spoil the prayer”).
Accepting that the need to repeat (and repeat, over again) goes with the territory, I am doing just that, and also delivering the “whole” in small digestible bits in the form of Papers and Articles.
And which is why, I am holding back the release of the Book – and say: when the student is ready – the book will appear.
putting the associated technologies (and terms) into a “nutshell”
…with due attribution to Alex Letsas and his Immersion Den
The new Exponential Age – as represented by Web3 – and of which, Internet Century Health Tourism is a part - embraces new emerging technologies - and trends – which means the student and practitioner of the “subject” will encounter a bewildering collection of “terms”.
Thankfully, for web3, Alex Letsas (https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/alexlets/) built what he refers to as an “organized knowledge hub” named the Immersion Den (now used weekly by thousands of people – me included).
The purpose of the Immersion Den is to put things in a nutshell and help us understand the “zeitgeist” of an evolving space with enormous potential.
For terms which are more “sector-specific” (meaning the Health Tourism Sector), I may need to remind the reader that ICHT has its own, dedicated vocabulary (in the form of an EMVIO document).
“Emvio” is Greek for “living” (as in “living document”).
A living document, also known as an evergreen document or dynamic document, is a document that is continually edited and updated.
Living documents are changed through revisions that may or may not reference previous iterative changes (Wikipedia).
ascendancy of the Health Tourism Marketplace (ht8) - owned by its Stakeholders
…and declining relevance of the Destination
As a consequence of the Transformation and Repurposing of Health Tourism (which gave rise to Internet Century Health Tourism) we now have an integrated Health Tourism Economic Sector”.
This fact alone, warrants and justifies the existence of a universal Marketplace – the ht8 Marketplace.
The ht8 Marketplace Platform is underpinned by Blockchain Technology – and is part of the Kwe Strategy (in which Sellers - Services Providers - are Nodes).
Advent of the Metaverse and technologies such as crypto, blockchain, web3 and defi etc. have demonstrated the declining relevance of “destinations” (defined and delimited by borders) and ascendancy of the universal “Health Tourism Marketplace”.
Marketplace
An actual or notional / nominal place where forces of demand and supply operate, and where buyers and sellers interact to trade.
We no longer need to “fracture” Health Tourism commerce / trade into “bits” (or even stretch it) – to make it fit into the confines of national borders (or even, Trading Blocs) – a practice I have compared to the bed of Procrustes “strategy”.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb and The Bed of Procrustes
Nassim Nicholas Taleb (someone I unashamedly revere) wrote the book titled The Bed of Procrustes.
Procrustes, a figure from Greek mythology, abducted travelers and stretched or chopped their bodies to fit the length of his bed.
Internet Century Health Tourism (a.k.a. Contemporary Health Tourism – with both terms now, represented by ht8) has liberated us from artificial barriers and constraints.
Forget Destination Management Organizations (in one guise or another) and other “gate keepers”.
Start thinking in terms of the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO).
For some further reading, regarding the subjects of ht8 and the Marketplace see the following LinkedIn articles:
NOTE
The existence of the ht8 Marketplace also makes it possible to dispense with the friction-causing middleperson (see further down).
a Marketplace distinguished by an expanded Industry addressing a broader Market
…a bigger and more diverse – yet Integrated - Stakeholder Base
ht8 (which now, also represents the Health Tourism Sector “Masterbrand”), expands the Industry (Supply Side) so that it can address a much broader Market (the Demand Side) – meaning more business for all.
In fact, as becomes obvious, ht8, by configuring the health-related part of the Domain / Ecosystem in terms of 8 Segments (i.e., the “Long Tail” approach – with all its advantages) – and integrating the 8 Segments (to deal with “fragmentation and inefficiency”) - expands the Sector Stakeholder Base, as a whole.
See also: ht8 – the Health Tourism Sector Masterbrand ( https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/ht8-health-tourism-sector-masterbrand-constantinides-m-d-ph-d-/ ).
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Blockchain Technology comes to Health Tourism
…through the Kwe Strategy
Simply and clearly, Blockchain Technology (BT) is being introduced to Health Tourism through the Kwe Strategy.
It was inevitable that Blockchain Technology would be introduced to Health Tourism – to serve “useful purposes” – and benefit the targeted Stakeholders.
Kwe Strategy was designed to do just that.
Kwe Strategy is one of the arcHTos Foundational Innovations associated with Internet Century Health Tourism.
NOTE
arcHTos is the Health Tourism Architecture and Operating System.
The Strategy is underpinned by Blockchain (Distributed Database) Technology, which in turn serves as the controlling and operating system for the following “features”:
from the perspective of the Industry
Kwe Strategy enables rewardable collaboration and alliance formation – amongst Health Tourism Businesses – which compete against and collaborate with each other – at the same time. In other words, the strategy encourages and rewards collaboration and alliance-formation – even amongst competitors.
Participating businesses are part of the arcHTos Coalition – with each “business” being a node in the Blockchain (Distributed Database).
from the perspective of the Market
Kwe Strategy complements HEALTHwaft Strategy - by providing additional incentives for the Market (the Demand Side) to engage with and participate in Health Tourism.
Specifically:
the introduction of Gaming to Health Tourism
…Journey to Healthistan – and the Metaverse
Gaming was introduced to Health Tourism through two versions of a “simulation game”:
A “simulation game” is one in which participants are provided with a simulated environment in which to play.
Stated somewhat differently, this type of game presents the player with a simulation focused on a real-life scenario.
Such games contain a mixture of skills, chances, and strategies to simulate an aspect of reality.
“Healthistan” is about the “Industry” wanting to create the “Ideal Health Tourism Marketplace” and “Journey to Healthistan” is about the “Market” (the Consumer) searching to find the “Ideal Health Tourism Services Provider in each of the 8 Health Tourism Segments at the Marketplace (i.e., Healthistan).
Decentralization
…planning and decision-making delegated away from a central authority
Decentralization is a central feature of Web3 and ICHT.
In clear and simple terms, decentralization is the process by which activities regarding planning and decision-making, are distributed or delegated away from a central authority.
Academic Libertarianism
…rules – but rules which are not subject to any institutional authority
Both Web3 and Internet Century Health Tourism (ICHT) were founded on the Concept and Practice of Academic Libertarianism – and as such, are associated with rules – but these rules are not subject to any institutional authority.
In the case of ICHT, the term “rules” is replaced by the term “Accepted Practices”.
Join the Avant-Garde – or stay with the Old Guard
…or, play both sides - for a while
For a while Web3 will operate alongside Web 2.0 – and not fully supplant it.
Web2 companies will be progressively incorporating Web3 concepts and practices into their services, to stay relevant.
The same will happen with Health Tourism (the Conventional and Contemporary “versions”).
ht8 is not an “all or nothing” proposition.
Although Health Tourism has been transformed and repurposed, no one is claiming that Conventional Health Tourism (dominated by Medical Tourism and represented by the old guard and the conservative wing) will cease to exist.
The two will coexist.
Nevertheless, the avant-garde, represented by those championing Contemporary Health Tourism (a.k.a. Internet Century Health Tourism and ht8) is destined to become the Mainstream.
Of course, as with every newly-introduced “thing”, it will initially, be resisted by change-averse incumbents, who fear it will rock their boat, because they value their “comfort zone” more than the “Optimal Performance Zone”.
But those who find the time and make the effort, only have to look at the outcomes of the transformation and repurposing process (as listed in random order towards the end of this article) to decide if they want to continue being driven by “dogma” or to now, opt for “reason”.
the types of innovation associated with Web3 and ht8
…Permissionless, Combinational and Open
Web3 and ht8, both representing the “advanced present and future”, are characterized by 3 types of Innovation:
And all of these innovations are owned by their stakeholders.
I regard “innovation” to be the process which converts knowledge, understanding and ideas into:
The definitions I have “shortlisted” are:
To save me repeating things on the subject of innovation, I point the reader to the LinkedIn article titled: an introduction to Combinational, Permissionless and Open Innovations.
dispensing with friction-causing Intermediation
…the Internet should be the only “Middleperson”
The Internet, as part of its stated objectives, includes:
Indisputably, “intermediation” (the intervention of a “middleperson”) is associated with friction (a factor contributing to inefficiency).
Friction
“Friction”, in the context of economics, is everything that keeps markets from working “efficiently” – i.e., according to the textbook model of perfect competition.
But in pre-Internet times, intermediation was a necessary evil.
This was then.
Bill Gates (in his bestseller “The Road Ahead”) foresaw a world of “friction-free capitalism,” one in which the Internet itself would become the only intermediary we’d need – “the universal middleperson”.
Internet Century Health Tourism makes it possible to dispense with friction-causing intermediation (i.e., the intervention of the Middleperson – in the form of Agents and Proxies - Facilitators) – thanks to HEALTHwaft Strategy - which enables the Health Consumer to interact directly with the Services Provider.
More specifically, thanks to the HEALTHnab “app” (a component part of the HEALTHwaft Strategy), the Market (the Demand Side) connects directly with the Industry (the Demand Side).
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