Wasu Mekniran

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Mekniran

First Name

Wasu

ORCID

0000-0001-5184-0438

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Publications 1 - 10 of 10

The longevity landscape: mapping stakeholder priorities for healthy aging among high-income countries
Mekniran, Wasu; Giger, Odile-Florence; Fleisch, Elgar; et al. (2025)
BMC Public Health
Objective Global population aging presents significant economic and social challenges, requiring coordinated efforts to enhance healthy lifespans. However, little is known about how stakeholders prioritize healthy aging initiatives. We aimed to examine how a sample of stakeholders prioritize determinants of healthy aging, and what gaps or inconsistencies exist in stakeholder focus on these determinants? Methods We conducted a first systematic analysis of the value propositions of 56 stakeholders, including governments, companies, research centers, opinion leaders, communities, and multilateral organizations, identified through Web of Science, PitchBook, and Crunchbase. Guided by the National Academy of Medicine’s All-of-Society framework, we assessed stakeholder emphasis on four determinants of healthy aging: public health systems, social factors, physical infrastructure, and work and education. Results Public health system reform emerged as the most emphasized determinant, with significant focus on investing in geroscience and developing tailored primary care for older adults. In contrast, critical social and infrastructural factors—such as digital literacy, housing, transportation, financial security, and loneliness—received limited attention among stakeholders. Conclusions These findings highlight the need for cross-sector partnerships to address these overlooked determinants and ensure a holistic approach to healthy aging. Future research should explore collaborative strategies to bridge these gaps to meet the diverse needs of aging populations.
Digital health technologies and innovation patterns in diabetes ecosystems
Giger, Odile-Florence; Pfitzer, Estelle; Mekniran, Wasu; et al. (2025)
Digital Health
Background The global rise in type-2 diabetes (T2D) has prompted the development of new digital technologies for diabetes management. However, despite the proliferation of digital health companies for T2D care, scaling their solutions remains a critical challenge. This study investigates the digital transformation of T2D ecosystems and seeks to identify key innovation patterns. We examine: (1) What are emerging organizations in digital diabetes ecosystems? (2) What are the value streams in digital T2D ecosystems? (3) Which innovation patterns are present in digital T2D ecosystems? Methods We conducted a literature review and market analysis to characterize organizations and value streams in T2D ecosystems, pre- and post-digital transformation. We used the e3-value methodology to visualize T2D ecosystems (RQ1 and RQ2) and conducted expert interviews to identify emerging innovation patterns in digital diabetes ecosystems (RQ3). Results Our analyses revealed the emergence of eight organization segments in digital diabetes ecosystems: real-world evidence analytics, healthcare management platforms, clinical decision support, diagnostic and monitoring, digital therapeutics, wellness, online community, and online pharmacy (RQ1). Visualizing the value streams among these organizations highlights the crucial importance of individual health data (RQ2). Furthermore, our analysis revealed four major innovation patterns within the digital diabetes ecosystem: open ecosystem strategies, outcome-based payment models, platformization, and user-centric software (RQ3). Conclusions Our findings illustrate the transition from traditional value chains in T2D care to platform-based and outcome-oriented models. These innovation patterns can inform strategic decisions for companies and healthcare providers, potentially helping anticipate new digital trends in diabetes care and across other chronic disease ecosystems.
Digital Diabetes Screening in Switzerland: A cost-effectiveness analysis
Mekniran, Wasu; Brügger, Victoria; Fuchs, Magdalena; et al. (2025)
Abstracts 2025
Background: Early identification of individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) is critical for timely lifestyle intervention and prevention. While digital health applications offer a scalable and accessible approach to risk screening, their value depends on achieving sufficient accuracy to justify widespread use. This study aims to assess the cost-effectiveness of digital diabetes screening in Switzerland. Methods: A decision-analytic model was developed comprising a 1-year budget impact component and a 5-year cost-effectiveness analysis, consistent with established economic evaluation frameworks for diabetes screening. The target population consisted of 7 million Swiss adults aged 20 and above, with a 6% prevalence of T2D, of which 33% were assumed to be undiagnosed. The risk score was modeled as a two-step screening process, with assumed sensitivities ranging from 60% to 95% and specificities ranging from 90% to 99%, followed by confirmatory laboratory testing (e.g., HbA1c, FPG). Uptake scenarios ranged from 20% to 80%. Screening costs were considered based on available market prices, ranging from CHF 5 to CHF 120 per user, confirmatory testing at CHF 40, and initial treatment at CHF 200. Outcomes included new cases of T2D detected and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained. Early detection was assumed to reduce the incidence of diabetes-related complications by 15% over 5 years. All parameters were sourced from published literature and Swiss public health data. Results: In the base-case scenario (50% uptake, CHF 5 screening cost), the program identified 55,440 new T2D cases, with a 1-year net cost of CHF 38 million, equating to CHF 680 per case for statutory insurers (LaMal). Outpatient providers experienced a predominantly positive or neutral financial impact, benefiting from a larger diabetic population that allowed for earlier disease management. Over five years, the screening cost CHF 528.5 million and generated 528,917 QALYs, compared to CHF 657.2 million and 522,000 QALYs without screening. The incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) was –CHF 18,565 per QALY gained, indicating that the screening was dominant (lower cost, higher benefit). Sensitivity analysis showed cost-effectiveness was maintained when specificity exceeded 90% and uptake surpassed 30%. These thresholds mark critical conditions under which the screening remains economically viable. Conclusion: Our analysis indicates that integrating digital diabetes screening into outpatient care in Switzerland is economically dominant under realistic assumptions. This approach offers substantial potential for cost-effective early detection and significant system-level savings, making it a valuable addition to national preventive health strategies.
Collaboration and Innovation Patterns in Diabetes Ecosystems
Giger, Odile-Florence; Pfitzer, Estelle; Mekniran, Wasu; et al. (2024)
medRxiv
Background: The global prevalence of diabetes is increasing and has stimulated new technological advancements in disease management. Although there are many digital health companies with a focus on diabetes, building them up at scale is difficult due to a heterogeneous, inefficient, and fragmented healthcare system. While ecosystems, or collaborative value creation, could help address system fragmentation; the current diabetes ecosystem remains not fully understood. Therefore, this paper analyzes the digital transformation of the diabetes ecosystem and deducts innovation patterns. We address the following research questions: (1) What are emerging organizations in the current diabetes ecosystem? (2) What are the value streams in the current diabetes ecosystem? (3) Which innovation patterns are present in the ecosystem? Methods: We conduct a literature review and a market analysis to describe the organizations and value streams in the diabetes ecosystem, both before and after the digital transformation. We visualize the diabetes ecosystem using the e3-value methodology (RQ1 and RQ2). Next, expert interviews are conducted to validate the resulting diabetes ecosystem and deduce innovation patterns (RQ3). Results: First, we show that the digital transformation gives rise to emerging organizations across eight segments: real-world evidence analytics, healthcare management platforms, clinical decision support, diagnostic and monitoring, digital therapeutics, wellness, online community, online pharmacy (RQ1). Secondly, we visualize the value streams between emerging organizations in the current diabetes ecosystem, highlighting the key role of patient data as currency (RQ2). Ultimately, we derive four innovation patterns in the current diabetes ecosystem (RQ3); namely open ecosystem strategy, outcome-based payments, platformization (connecting stakeholders), and user-centric software. Conclusions: We demonstrate how traditional value chains in the diabetes ecosystem transition to platforms and outcome-based payment models, guiding strategic decisions for companies and healthcare providers. These innovation patterns may apply to similar ecosystems in other disease areas, aiding organizations in forecasting future dynamics.
EDEN: Towards a Computational Framework to Align Incentives in Healthy Aging
Mekniran, Wasu; Kowatsch, Tobias (2025)
Proceedings of the 18th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies - Volume 2: Scale-IT-up
Incentive misalignment among healthcare stakeholders poses significant barriers to promoting healthy aging, hindering efforts to mitigate the burden of long-term care. Despite extensive research in public health, incentive gaps persist, as static implementation guidelines often fail to accommodate dynamic and conflicting incentives. This study introduces and evaluates EDEN (eden.ethz.ch), a computational framework designed to dynamically map stakeholder incentives using a Retrieval-Augmented Generation pipeline. A comparative study using a health insurer use case evaluates alternative incentive analyses; qualitative content analysis, large language models, and EDEN. The evaluation assesses their ability to identify and address incentive gaps. Preliminary findings demonstrate the EDEN's ability to map incentives and highlight misalignment compared to alternative approaches. These findings demonstrate how EDEN can offer evidence-based strategies for key healthcare stakeholders, such as health insurers, based on retrieval features to align incentives in healthy aging.
Reimagining Preventive Care and Digital Health: A Paradigm Shift in a Health Insurance’s Role
Mekniran, Wasu; Kramer, Jan-Niklas; Kowatsch, Tobias (2024)
Proceedings of the 17th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies - Volume 2: Scale-IT-up
Amidst non-communicable diseases' substantial health and economic burdens, health insurance companies and digital health technologies (DHTs) are increasingly crucial in enabling preventive care and minimizing global health expenditure. This position paper explores the perspective of an innovation manager of a Swiss health insurer. The interview transcript was analyzed using thematic analysis. The results highlight the importance of current regulations, the future role of health insurance companies, and the potential of DHTs to promote preventive care and business model innovation.
Scalable Business Models in Digital Healthy Longevity: Lessons from Top-Funded Digital Health Companies in 2022
Mekniran, Wasu; Kowatsch, Tobias (2023)
Proceedings of the 16th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies - Volume 5: HEALTHINF
Digital health companies can address significant healthcare challenges and mitigate the demographic impact on the health system. Healthcare value delivery becomes increasingly complex based on multiple health problems, different treatment methods and payment schemes, various care methods, and payment schemes; therefore, scaling up a healthcare solution is not trivial, especially for new companies. To explore the business models of the top-funded digital health companies and analyze the respective scalable element of their value creation and delivery processes, this study systematically used venture databases and a business model framework to describe top-funded companies. Then, we performed literature and desk research to specify which business model elements helped them scale up. As a result, we identified ten top-funded companies in the field; our main findings suggest that these companies scaled up by developing a platform for a wide range of users, in contrast to specific demography and disease. We recommend that new digital companies in healthy longevity prioritize employers in customer acquisition and align incentives between patients and payers with the help of digital health data to improve transparency on return on investment.
Megatrend gesunde Langlebigkeit: Wer macht was?
Mekniran, Wasu (2025)
Die Gesundheitskosten steigen stark aufgrund zunehmender Lebenserwartung mit chronischer Erkrankungen. Initiativen zum gesunden Altern müssen demnach gesunde Lebensjahre erlangen und das Wirtschaftswachstum fördern.
The Longevity Landscape: Value Creation for Healthy Aging
Mekniran, Wasu; Giger, Odile-Florence; Fleisch, Elgar; et al. (2024)
medRxiv
Background: The global aging population underscores a critical need to tackle accompanying health and economic challenges, at all levels of society. This All-of-Society approach emphasizes the involvement of various stakeholders—governments, NGOs, researcher centers, private companies, local communities, and opinion leaders—to collectively promote healthy aging. However, how stakeholders enable healthy longevity remains unclear. Objective: This study examines how global stakeholders (governments, NGOs, researcher centers, private companies, local communities, and opinion leaders) create value towards healthy longevity. We identify the healthy longevity dimension of stakeholders’ value propositions and examine alignment between their propositions as an indicator of shared goals. Methods: Following the All-of-Society approach, we analyzed the healthy longevity aspects of value propositions among the six classes of stakeholders (N=128). We (1) employed semantic topic modeling to identify the primary value proposition topics as related to healthy longevity and (2) computed proposition alignment using similarity networks. Results: Our analysis revealed varying degrees of alignment between stakeholders’ healthy longevity propositions, with the lowest alignment observed for local communities and researcher centers. Conclusions: Findings underscore a key need to strengthen synergies between academic and community-based initiatives to promote translational science and highlight opportunities for strategic partnerships in the evolving healthy longevity field. What is already known on this topic: The National Academy of Medicine’s All-of-Society approach advocates for multi-stakeholder engagement towards healthy longevity, but specific stakeholder contributions, and their alignment toward shared goals, are poorly understood. What this study adds: To our knowledge, this study is the first to provide empirical evidence into the value propositions of healthy longevity stakeholders on a societal scale. It highlights key areas where multi-stakeholder collaboration can be strengthened—particularly between academic and local community initiatives—and proposes five strategies to strengthen collaboration. How this study might affect research, practice, or policy: Prioritizing (1) community-based participatory research, (2) translating healthy aging-related research findings into accessible resources, (3) prioritizing equity in intervention delivery, (4) establishing community advisory boards, and (5) developing knowledge translation and training programs, could potentially better align academic and community efforts towards more aligned, equitable and effective healthy longevity initiatives.
Incentive Systems for Diabetes Prevention with Digital Health
Mekniran, Wasu; Jovanova, Mia; Kowatsch, Tobias (2024)
Abstracts 2024
Background/Introduction: The global rise in noncommunicable diseases necessitates innovative prevention technologies. In Switzerland, nearly half of 2017 healthcare expenditures were for those aged over 65, with 75% spent on noncommunicable diseases (Stucki, 2021), particularly costly metabolic diseases like diabetes (Wieser et al., 2014). Companies are developing digital health tools for early prevention (Cohen et al., 2020). However, the benefits of implementation still need to be justified due to the fragmented healthcare market and stakeholders (Borges do Nascimento et al., 2023). This study aims to identify incentives and business models that promote the implementation of diabetes prevention with digital health. Methods: This study uses a multi-method approach: a literature review and a market analysis to identify incentives for preventive care and a business model analysis to pinpoint digital delivery models focused on diabetes prevention. Finally, we conducted expert interviews to triangulate the results and refine incentive patterns (Hermes et al., 2020; Retterath and Braun, 2020). Results: Evaluating the benefits of preventive interventions is challenging due to their long-term impact on all stakeholders in the healthcare system. However, our results reveal promising both financial and non-financial incentives for users, payers, and care providers. Incentive patterns like universal access through integrated care platforms and shared savings programs with care providers can potentially address user reach and retention challenges in preventive care implementation. Conclusion: The presented incentive patterns can overcome the challenges of unclear benefits in preventive care. Numerous recognized systems aim to provide personalized, cost-effective care by leveraging health technologies and ecosystems, enhancing adoption rate and participation. Innovative delivery methods, including creative marketing and social entrepreneurship, are highlighted to engage patients and effectively promote long-term preventive intervention adherence

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