The people behind healthcare innovation: Interview with Philipp Wustrow, Co-Founder of OnlineDoctor

As part of my work, I have the privilege to speak with many inspiring innovators. However, the business community usually focuses more on companies, pitches, and valuations, and less on the innovator. I think it would be interesting to learn a bit more about the people behind healthcare innovation. Therefore, I’m sharing some of my conversations with innovators in a condensed format: six questions and six answers about their experience, their opinions, and their learnings.

This latest conversation is with Philipp Wustrow, Co-Founder of OnlineDoctor, a digital health platform focused on tele-dermatology.

Tobias: What’s your story and how did you become an innovator in healthcare?

Philipp: It was in 2016 when I was a doctoral student at the SME Institute of the University of St. Gallen. We had organized a business seminar for doctors, and that’s where we met our co-founder and dermatologist Dr. Paul Scheidegger. He attended the seminar and approached us to talk about the inefficient and unsafe ways in which patients seek help from him via email, messaging platforms, or SMS. We realized that most dermatologists were receiving enquiries through such channels.

Today, OnlineDoctor is a leading tele-dermatology provider in Europe. Patients with skin problems receive a specialist diagnosis and recommendation for action within a few hours via a secure channel. They can freely choose their preferred specialist through our platform, regardless of their location. Over 600 dermatologists use OnlineDoctor every day to treat their patients.

Tobias: Where do you see the dermatology space moving to in the next ten years?

Philipp: Digital innovations will certainly shape the future of dermatology and contribute to the evolution of this fascinating field. New concepts around the way dermatologists interact with their patients and innovative forms of medical practice will emerge. This means that the era of one-size-fits-all medical interaction is coming to an end, and customer experience will become increasingly important when using digital health apps and tele-dermatology. Patient centricity plays a crucial role. AI is becoming valuable in improving the accuracy and speed of diagnoses. Therefore, I believe that AI and digital consultations will be the standard in dermatology practice in ten years. Non-digital and digital spaces will increasingly merge.

Tobias: Looking more broadly, what are the biggest opportunities and obstacles you see for innovation in the healthcare environment?

Philipp: We see that medical professionals, patients, and insurance companies are very open to digitalization if it really meets their needs. The basis for the success of digital innovations is (and must always be) the relationship between doctors and patients. Those who see doctors as partners and act in a patient-centered way will gain the trust and support of associations and health insurance companies. The Professional Association of German Dermatologists (“Berufsverband der Deutschen Dermatologen, BVDD”) has even taken up the cause of digitalization and entered into an exclusive partnership with us to provide its members with guidance in this innovative field. And when we first spoke to a large health insurance in Germany, we quickly learned that it pays attention to linking offerings to the patient-doctor relationship.

One challenge I see is the regulated market, which can change quickly and dynamically. You have to be able to anticipate these changes and constantly communicate with the different stakeholders to make sure all partners are on board. We work with insurance companies in Germany and Switzerland, with pharmacies, hospitals, and industry partners—all of which have their own goals and objectives. Fulfilling all their various needs via digital tools is certainly a challenge.

Tobias: When you look at the health system as a whole (providers, payers, doctors, patients) who do you see driving innovation the most?

Philipp: At the heart of any innovation is the acceptance and support of physicians, who decide whether they will provide their patients with access to innovations. Therefore, associations such as the BVDD can have a major impact on promoting innovation. In addition to the trust patients have in the advice they receive from their doctors, they also look very closely at their health insurance: most people in Germany would not use a digital health product that is not covered by their insurance. It is kind of a “hygiene factor.” Health insurers are becoming extremely important for driving innovation in the healthcare sector because they carefully select who they work with and which services they reimburse.

Tobias: In your opinion, what is the single most important change that will better enable digital transformation in health systems?

Philipp: It is crucial to see physicians as the central gatekeepers. As soon as physicians see digital platforms and tools as routine and an integral part of the treatment of their patients, the rest will be self-perpetuating. However, this only works if these tools also bring real added value for the physicians. Attempts to circumvent physicians and their interests by creating competing products are not sustainable. If we succeed in taking the physicians with us on our journey into the digital age, they will bring their patients with them. Of course, in a metaphorical sense, this is not a lever that you can just flip overnight, but it is a process that is currently gaining momentum.

Tobias: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were starting out as an innovator?

Philipp: If I had known earlier how many exciting personalities I would get to know, how much fun it can be to build up a startup, and experience how you make life easier for thousands of patients, I would have founded even earlier. However, I think it is also worth noting that, especially at the beginning of founding a startup, it can be beneficial to not “know it all” yet. You are free to think and implement things in a completely new way, perhaps even unconventionally; you can approach things lightheartedly and think outside the box, which is an important innovation driver. If you knew from the start how challenging it would be to build a startup—especially in the health-tech market—you might not even make the attempt. So, there is also a certain element of beauty in not knowing things.?

For more information, see Philipp Wustrow and OnlineDoctor.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and his guest contributor and do not reflect the views of McKinsey & Company.