Digital Platforms Adoption in a Highly Regulated Market

The development of digital platforms impact firms’ business model and the spread of new technologies as digital platforms stimulate academics’ attention. In industrial markets, different players affect the diffusion of innovation. However, businesses may encounter critical barriers. This research tries to respond to the following research question: how does high regulation affect the implementation of digital platforms in healthcare? to define a conceptual framework to investigate the impact of high regulation in the innovation process in healthcare, focusing on digital platform implementation. To answer the research question, an exploratory qualitative analysis was conducted using the focus group method. The results provide a conceptual framework highlighting three main drivers: safety – harmonizing – flexibility as a facilitator of digital platform adoption in a highly regulated sector. This study offers implications for theory and practice and valuable insights for future research.