Market Overview

Personal healthcare services encompass a variety of offerings designed to support individual health practices. With the expansion of free personal healthcare services and the increasing number of offerings from private insurance companies and local governments, paid services have become more specialized or offer high added value, tailored to individual needs. Some service providers seek to attract customers through targeted service delivery or by adjusting their price structures. In recent years, the environment for personal health record (PHR) services has improved. This is due in part to government efforts to promote PHR usage and the establishment of PHR associations by businesses. By enabling individuals to view and manage their own health information, both the government and private sector aim to encourage users to take a more proactive role in managing their PHRs, while also using health insurance systems and healthcare services more efficiently and effectively.

There are many monetization models used for disease management and prevention apps. These include:
- Freemium models which offer basic features for free while charging for premium features.
- Paid membership models.
- B2C (business-to-consumer) models, where users pay to purchase the app, though some apps are offered for free.
- B2M2P (business-to-medical-to-patient) models, where apps are provided through medical institutions.
- B2G2C (business-to-government-to-consumer) models, where apps are distributed via government channels.
- B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer) models, where apps are offered through healthcare companies.
- B2B2E (business-to-business-to-employee) models, where apps are offered through employers or employment-based health insurance.
Many monetized models for disease management and prevention apps involve business-to-business transactions. B2C models represent only a small share of app providers’ total sales.

Noteworthy Topics

Attention to Disease Management and Prevention Apps Becoming Digital Therapeutics (DTx), and to DTx Offered through These Apps

In this research, non-medical device apps are referred to as disease management and prevention apps. Plans are underway to transform these apps into digital therapeutics (DTx). Once approved as medical devices and covered by insurance, these apps could attract attention as a new revenue source. Additionally, there are also plans to convert other types of healthcare apps into DTx.

Future Outlook

As Japan's population continues to age, preventive medicine is receiving increased attention. Personal healthcare services are expected to keep expanding. Service providers will likely generate demand by developing more finely targeted services or bundled service packages.

Research Outline