This September, we’re hosting an exclusive roundtable on the future of data-driven healthcare, together with our partners i-mens, FTI and Vlerick.
This roundtable wasn’t put together overnight. It’s the result of months of preparation, in-depth interviews, and real conversations with leaders across the ecosystem: from hospitals and mutualities to home care organisations and healthtech innovators.
In the run-up to the event, we sat down with our colleague Thomas Dubois, Partner at Madison Partners and one of the driving forces behind the initiative. With his close experience supporting i-mens and other organisations in the sector, Thomas has a sharp view on what’s at stake, and what’s possible. We asked him to share the story behind this initiative and what we hope it will unlock.
I think healthcare touches all of us in one way or another. It’s deeply personal. Sooner or later, every person is influenced by it. Whether it’s through birth, illness, ageing, or caring for someone close to us. It’s something very real, something we all feel.
And then there’s the potential. We’re seeing entire industries transform through data and AI. And while healthcare has certainly made progress, there's still a vast frontier of opportunity ahead: one that lies not only in technology, but also in how we collaborate and organise care differently. If we get it right, the impact is enormous. It’s more than a matter of convenience. It’s about lives.
We’re not doctors. We won’t save lives directly. But if we can help create the systems and structures that enable faster, more informed, and more humane decisions, then we’re making a real difference.
We’re bringing together people who shape healthcare today: policymakers, directors, professors, innovators, and those who influence how care is funded and delivered. But also people who think beyond their role, those who challenge the status quo and look at the system with fresh eyes.
The topic? In essence, how can we enable data-driven care through meaningful collaboration? We know we need to work together. We know the technology exists. But it’s not happening fast enough. That’s why we’re zooming in on shared care paths, infrastructure, and data flows, with a clear focus on finality: what actually improves care?
We’re not reinventing the wheel. Much is already happening. But by shining a light on these efforts and approaching them through a data-driven lens, we hope to amplify what works and help connect the dots.
Every single person we spoke to mentioned the need to work together. So that’s where we chose to focus our energy: on the opportunities.
Not so much surprised, but confirmed: that we need to look at healthcare as a process. And by that, I mean a continuous journey that begins even before birth, not just at the onset of symptoms or illness. Too often, our current healthcare frameworks kick in only when something goes wrong. That’s how we end up with a 'sick care' model instead of true health care. What we need is a more holistic view that connects the dots from preventive care through to hospital and back into the home environment. Because in reality, people move across organisations: from hospital to home care and sometimes back again.
And if you want to improve that journey, you need to be able to steer it. That’s something we’ve long advocated in other industries: next-generation companies take ownership of their key value streams and build around them. A next-gen healthcare system needs to do the same, guiding and optimising the citizen’s health journey.
Most organisations aren’t data mature yet. You can’t share what you don’t use. Many healthcare providers have the data, but they’re not acting on it. That’s changing, though. More and more actors are including data maturity as a strategic pillar in their five-year plans. That’s promising!
But beyond data maturity, there’s another crucial factor: data needs to be understandable. That means it can’t only make sense to healthcare professionals, it also has to be clear to patients, their families, and anyone involved in their care. If someone is supporting a loved one at home, they need to be able to read and act on the same information. This is where storytelling becomes powerful. When data is structured and shared in a way that tells a coherent, relatable story, it becomes easier for everyone to understand what’s going on and what needs to happen next. The more accessible and meaningful data becomes, the more people can engage with it, take action, and make a difference.
And then there’s trust. Trust between actors, each with their own priorities and the responsibility of keeping their organisation afloat. But alongside those individual interests, there’s a shared sense of purpose. Everyone wants to contribute to better care. But the system still doesn’t make it easy. That’s where we need to work smarter to design models that make doing the right thing also the easiest thing.
“We often underestimate how digitally savvy people already are.”
That insight came from our very first interview with Henriette Vanhoof from Zuyderland MC, a Dutch hospital group and regional healthcare provider. We tend to assume that older adults or vulnerable groups can’t handle digital tools, but many can, if the process is clear and the purpose is human.
Henriette put it well:
“We could also choose to move forward with the 5% that’s ready. Start with them and show what’s possible.”
Zuyderland MC embraces a 'digital first, unless' mindset: digital is the default, unless there’s a good reason not to. It’s a powerful reminder that thoughtful implementation, grounded in respect for people’s actual capabilities, goes further than outdated assumptions.
A new business model for collaboration in healthcare. One where we design services and solutions that are truly embedded in the patient journey: human, seamless, and effective. Not just another pilot or one-off project, but something structural, sustainable, and integrated.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Many good ideas and initiatives already exist. But right now, they’re still isolated puzzle pieces. The real challenge - and opportunity - is to connect them.
It's ambitious, I know, but all big shifts start somewhere (just look at how Airbnb transformed hospitality). If we can bring that level of rethinking to healthcare, anchored in empathy, data, and real collaboration, then we’ve started something meaningful.