1、 2023 Boston Consulting Group1Its happening without a lot of attention or fanfare,but the metaverse is spurring atransformation in health care.Innovative companies backed by substantial funding areachieving a rare trifectaincreased access,better outcomes,and lower costsin areas suchas medical and su

2、rgical imaging,mental health,and medical training.Even though the metaverse is still in its early stages of development,most areas of health careare already experiencing its impact.Rapidly advancing technology and increasing adoptionsuggest significant disruption to come.Providers and payers need to

3、 determine now how theywill engage with these developments.They should start with an understanding of the range ofThe Health Care Metaverse Is MoreThan a Virtual RealityJANUARY 19,2023 By Ozgur Adigozel,Tibor Mrey,and Madeline Mathews 2023 Boston Consulting Group2use cases already in the market,as w

4、ell as those under development,and then define theirvision for how these next-generation technologies can benefit them and their patients.On thatfoundation,they can decide where to invest strategically and how to prioritize their own usecase development so they can evolve with the market rather than

5、 follow it.The Metaverse in Health Care TodayTo many,the metaverse invokes gaming and entertainment,but the underlying technologieshave real uses in health care today.These include extended reality(augmented reality,virtualreality,and mixed reality,or AR,VR,and MR,collectively referred to as XR);Web

6、3technologies and applications,such as blockchain and virtual assets;and M-worlds,the livevirtual“places”where users gather and create content.So far,the majority of health care usecases involve XR.The technologies are being used in several diagnostic and therapeuticapplications,as well as in medica

7、l training and meetings and conferences.Companies are alsoexperimenting with blockchain for applications that range from supply chain verification to thestorage and management of health care data.Metaverse technologies can create value for companies in multiple ways,including thefollowing:As is comm

8、on with new technologies,startups are driving much of the development activity.(See the sidebar,“Where the Action Is in the Health Care Metaverse.”)Many already haveviable products in the market that are being used by major providers.For example,in mentalhealth and neurological treatments,XR-based m

9、ental-health therapiesmany of which arealready FDA approvedare being used to treat anxiety,phobias,PTSD,and general stress.They improve both access and quality of care by increasing the number of care optionsImproving access to care by connecting patients and providers regardless of locationEnhancin

10、g the accuracy of diagnostics and the quality of surgery with advancedtechnologiesReducing costs in care delivery,medical training,and data managementOpening new possibilities for storage,sharing,and access to data(patient,claims,andprovider)Enhancing the experience of patients and insurance plan me

11、mbers and diversifyingrevenues with new offeringsLowering operating costs by streamlining such functions as recruiting,learning anddevelopment,and payment 2023 Boston Consulting Group3available,and they are oen less expensive and more efficient than traditional mental-healththerapies.Examples includ

12、e Sympatient,which offers a VR-based anxiety treatment thataddresses agoraphobia,social phobia,and panic disorders through exposure therapy.Similarly,Oxford VR has developed a platform that provides patients with exposure therapythrough“in situ treatments in a safe space where many different conditi

13、ons can be simulated.A robust worldwide ecosystem of startups is actively developing metaverse usecases in health care.Using the proprietary technology of BCGs Center forGrowth and Innovation and Analytics,we assessed data on millions of globalcompanies and identified 543 that were active in the hea

14、lth care metaversefrom the start of 2018 through October 2022.In the exhibit below,each noderepresents one company,with the nodes size representing the companysnumber of connections with,or its similarity to,other companies.The densityof a cluster indicates how related the companies are,and the dist

15、ance betweenclusters reflects the number of interrelated companies.WHERE THE ACTION IS IN THE HEALTH CARE METAVERSE 2023 Boston Consulting Group4Health care metaverse startups received$2.2 billion in private funding duringthe period we assessed,with investment increasing at an annual rate of nearly3

16、0%.The funding activity took place in all stages of the patient journey(patientengagement,care delivery and management,and payment),as well as in thebacking development of enablers and support functions(such as medicalpersonnel,health care data and analytics,and operations).The majority of use cases

17、 that we identified(70%of companies,90%offunding)use some form of XR and are relevant to providers or payers.Mentalhealth,medical training,and medical-procedure assistance(such as AR-assisted surgery)are the most active XR-related areas.AR and VRinfrastructure,medical-procedure assistance,and medica

18、l training receive themost funding.Many of the applications(such as training,mental health,physical therapy,vision diagnostics,and AR-supported surgery)are in use bymajor providers and payers today.About 30%of companies are developing blockchain technologies,but theyreceive only 10%of total funding

19、dollars(suggesting that the technology ismore nascent and the funding rounds smaller).Blockchain applicationsinclude patient data protection and sharing and payment platforms,whichhave relevance for payers and providers alike.Major providers such as Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic are using AR to

20、assist in medicalprocedures,including surgical preparation and execution in spine surgeries and catheterplacement.The technology,which enables full(as opposed to two-dimensional)visualization ofthe patients anatomy,improves error rates,speed,and outcomes.Active companies includeSentiAR(interactive 3

21、D displays of heart tissue),Augmedics(spinal-cord visualization),andMedivis(superimposed medical images during surgery).In physical therapy and rehabilitation,XR improves access to care by providing treatment(including stroke recovery,physical-therapy workouts,and progress tracking)regardless ofphys

22、ical location.XR also can lower care costs with home-oriented treatment models andprogress monitoring using built-in body sensors.The technology is already being employed bymajor providers,such as Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital.2023 Boston Consulting Group5Innovations includ

23、e XRHealths VR-based physical-therapy program,which enables providersto pair patients with therapists who create personalized plans of care administered throughVR.GestureTek Health has created VR physical-therapy games that put patients in virtualworlds and allow clinicians to monitor and adjust the

24、 parameters of activity for varying levelsof treatment.Major providers are using AR to assist in medical procedures,includingsurgical preparation and execution in spine surgeries and catheter placement.To get a handle on how established health care players are approaching the metaverse,BCGsurveyed p

25、roviders,payers,and biopharma and medtech companies in November 2022.Wefound that a majority of companies are already experimenting with these technologies.Almostthree-quarters of health care providers and more than one-third of payers reported using XR,blockchain,or M-worlds in some capacity.While

26、payers reported less use of XR(not surprising,since most XR use cases today are provider centric),they use blockchain more than otherplayers,at 25%.Given the nascency of the metaverse generally,the high levels of use reportedby health care companies point to expanding adoption.Indeed,about 90%of exe

27、cutives saidthey believe that the importance of the metaverse,and their companies involvement,willincrease.Despite the number of companies experimenting with metaverse technologies,far fewer haveimplemented formal programs.Only 17%of providers and 6%of payers have started or arescaling pilot program

28、s.Most payers and providers have yet to define their vision and take astrategic posture regarding the use of metaverse technologies.The Pace of Adoption Will AccelerateOur research suggests that the metaverse in health care is developing in three phases.We arecurrently moving from phase one,the peri

29、od of initial experimentation,to phase two(the nextfive years or so),which will be defined by the broader adoption of current use cases and theemergence of new use cases as technologies advance.Phase three(the following decade)willsee the development of more advanced use cases and the establishment

30、of metaversetechnologies across many areas of health care.(See the exhibit.)2023 Boston Consulting Group6As the health care metaverse develops,there will likely be more disruption in more areas.XR-based use cases have already caused many providers to try new approaches in training,therapy,surgery,an

31、d diagnostics.As we move into phase two,these use cases will proliferate,and new blockchainand,potentially,M-worldapplications will emerge in such areas asdisability and elder care,clinical trials,hospital digital twins,and claims and provider datamanagement.A bit further in the future,phase three w

32、ill be defined by a convergence of thevarious underlying technologies,enabling advanced use cases,such XR and M-world hospitals,end-to-end care navigation,remote-VR robotic surgeries,and storage of patient data on ablockchain.At that point,metaverse technologies will be standard in most areas of hea

33、lthcare.The speed of metaverse development in health care depends,of course,on the broaderadoption of the underlying technologies.There are strong indications that this is underway inthree key areas:technology,content,and enterprise use.Better and cheaper XR headsets are coming to market.Both incumb

34、ent and new hardwareplayers(such as Meta,Microso,and Apple)are expected to drive advances in XR technology,which,in turn,will push the installed base toward critical mass.Our research also suggests thecontinued convergence of AR and VR devices toward MR headsets with improved capabilities(such as Me

35、tas Cambria and Apples rumored 2023 device).Metas Mark Zuckerberg has 2023 Boston Consulting Group7pointed to 10 million units as the basis for a self-sustaining ecosystem,a milestone that thecompanys Quest 2 crossed in the first half of 2022.As more companies in both B2B and B2C industries interact

36、 with users in metaverseenvironments,new content and solutions from both incumbents and startups are powering amaturing ecosystem and accelerating broader adoption.The integration of new technologywith current systems will help to eliminate current content bottlenecks.Perhaps most important,the numb

37、er of enterprise strategies incorporating the newtechnologies is expected to grow in the coming years.Hybrid work will make the metaverse astrategic necessity for attracting talent.Much of the metaverse action to date has been in B2C,but B2B applications are increasingly catching up and may ultimate

38、ly be where much of thebusiness value is generated.Retail,fashion,and apparel companies have been among the firstmovers,and a growing list of major companies in the technology,telecommunications,healthcare,and automotive industries,among others,have become active.New content and solutions from both

39、incumbents and startups are powering amaturing ecosystem and accelerating broader adoption.In health care,77%of providers in our survey and 94%of payers expect their metaverseinvolvement to increase over the next few years,and none believe their involvement willdecrease.Almost two-thirds of provider

40、s and half of payers believe investment is needed nowor in the next two to three years,suggesting that investment in metaverse technologies willincrease,driving advances and adoption.Assessing the PotentialThe metaverse has acquired sufficient traction in health care that providers and payers need t

41、odevelop a strategy based on the vision they set for their involvement.Some companies andhealth systems may aspire to be leaders in metaverse adoption.Others may choose toexperiment with the technologies,and still others will want to stay on the sidelines and watch.A few may decide that the metavers

42、e has only limited application for them.2023 Boston Consulting Group8Whatever the assessment,it should be made while the window of opportunity is fully open.Early adopters can gain extra value in multiple ways,including the following:To extract the most value from the metaverse,providers and payers

43、need to evaluate how thetechnologies best fit with their current strategies and operations.The first step is developing aperspective on how the metaverse will grow in areas important to the company or healthsystem and then identifying high-value use cases that align with its strategic goals.Thisanal

44、ysis should include an assessment of investment patterns,technology advances,andadoption trends,particularly with respect to high-potential use cases.It should alsoencompass the health care-specific hurdles that need to be overcome,including factors relatedto digital infrastructure,regulation,patien

45、t data,and reimbursement.Once management sets a metaverse vision and prioritizes use cases,payers and providers cantake four additional steps to build the necessary capabilities for successful implementation.First,explore designing a user experience(UX)for metaverse interactions that delivers bothva

46、lue for users and ROI for the organization.An appealing,user-friendly UX design is essentialin health care,as the efficacy of therapeutic use cases is directly tied to the user experience.Good design includes ease of use for a broad patient audience,the ability to customize tospecific patient needs,

47、and an engaging interface that users enjoy.Second,create a digital-twin strategy.Start embedding metaverse use cases into regularoperations early.Look for opportunities to develop use cases that support the current strategyand future business development.For example,digital twinsvirtual,real-timerep

48、resentations of patients generated using multiple data sourceshave a host of current andpotential applications in treatment,monitoring,management,and training and development.Learning Curve.Early participation enables companies to stay ahead of the curve andmove quickly as use cases scale up.Network

49、 Effects.Early movers can establish valuable partnerships and alliances aheadof competitors.First-Mover Advantage.Organizations can accumulate data and talent ahead of thecompetition.Reputational Impact.Early movers gain a disproportionate share of voice andrecognition as leaders.Innovation.Companie

50、s can create new channels for engagement with patients andmembers.2023 Boston Consulting Group9Third,develop the capabilities you need to compete.Assess internal talent,identify gaps,andestablish a plan to hire or otherwise acquire the necessary skills and technology.Finally,establish a mission cont

51、rol office,including a control center with clear mandates andprocesses to monitor and oversee the metaverse effort.Organizations need not make this journey alone.Partnerships with other health careorganizations,technology developers,and vendors can accelerate progress and help ensureselection of the

52、 best use cases and establishment of the proper supporting infrastructure.Getting Started TodayWhatever their vision turns out to be,organizations can take a series of no-regret steps to buildunderstanding and relationships:Metaverse technologies are already increasing patient access to care,improvi

53、ng medicaltraining,improving outcomes in several diseases and surgeries,and lowering costs in multipleareas.Providers and payers that move quickly can drive these use cases to scale whiledeveloping other applications.Early movers stand to reap significant value from the emergingtechnologies.Experien

54、ce the metaverse.Buy some headsets,organize demonstration sessions,andexpose the organization to new possibilities.For example,BCG has opened an“office”inthe metaverse to help build awareness,interest,and experience among our partners,staff,and clients.Form a crew.Bring together experienced and pass

55、ionate people in a loose structure thatfacilitates regular interaction and collaboration.Collect use cases.Create ways to brainstorm and evaluate the highest-value use cases.Foster partnerships.Initiate discussions with potential partners and peers to buildknowledge and experience.Follow the trends.

56、Stay up to date on technology investments,adoption trends,andchanges in regulation.2023 Boston Consulting Group10AuthorsOzgur AdigozelMANAGING DIRECTOR&SENIOR PARTNERChicagoTibor MreyMANAGING DIRECTOR&PARTNERViennaMadeline MathewsPRINCIPALChicagoABOUT BOSTON CONSULTING GROUPBoston Consulting Group p

57、artners with leaders in business and society to tackle their mostimportant challenges and capture their greatest opportunities.BCG was the pioneer in businessstrategy when it was founded in 1963.Today,we work closely with clients to embrace atransformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakehol

58、dersempowering organizations togrow,build sustainable competitive advantage,and drive positive societal impact.Our diverse,global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectivesthat question the status quo and spark change.BCG delivers solutions through leading-edgeman

59、agement consulting,technology and design,and corporate and digital ventures.We work in auniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization,fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.Boston Consulting Group 2023.All rights reserved.For information or permission to reprint,please contact BCG at .To find thelatest BCG content and register to receive e-alerts on this topic or others,please visit .FollowBoston Consulting Group on Facebook and Twitter.