The role of loyalty programs in healthcare service ecosystems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of patient loyalty programs in healthcare environment, generally considered as a way to engage patients and potentially increase the perception of service quality of healthcare systems, but not systematically analyzed at the state of the art. Design/methodology/approach – The Service Dominant logic and, in particular, the service ecosystem construct are adopted and integrated with relevant literature references and empirical studies on a sample of patients. Loyalty programs are interpreted as institutions coordinating actors of the healthcare service ecosystem. Findings – A conceptual model linking loyalty programs to patients and healthcare providers’ co-creation practices, engagement, satisfaction, trust, and perception of service quality is build and explained based on literature and a case study, finding that loyalty programs can strengthen the adaptability and the well-being of a healthcare service ecosystem. Practical implications – This contribution can have a significant impact on the design of new and the evolution of current healthcare service ecosystem, providing interesting insights to practitioners on the topic of loyalty programs, both for their development and their benefits. Originality/value – The paper revised previous healthcare service ecosystems and highlights the role of the loyalty program institution at each level and between levels of the ecosystem.