Assistant Robots in German Hospitals: Measuring Value Drivers and Willingness to Pay

In 2030, the worldwide skilled workers shortage in healthcare will reach 15 million. Innovative solutions that meet this immense challenge are required. Assistant robots have the potential to mitigate this challenge by relieving health professionals of heavy physical work, reducing time spent on repetitive tasks and leaving more time for patients in need of care. Despite the growing interest, the market growth for robotic solutions in the healthcare sector is picking up only slowly due to mainly two challenges: financing as well as the fit of the product to the needs of the institution. While many studies explore the patient acceptance of robotic solutions, there is hardly any quantitative evidence on the preferences and willingness to pay of hospitals. The objective of this study is to close this research gap by exploring value drivers and willingness to pay of hospital decision makers in Germany for a hospital robot guide using a choice-based conjoint analysis. We, first, find that price, an elevator function, and a service package are the most important value drivers. We further determine that the revenue-maximizing purchase price for the robot guide is between 25.000 Euro for the basic robotic solution without additional features and 50.000 Euro for the best profile with all features. Finally, in line with current trends in the robotics market, our qualitative results show that flexible offers such as e.g. renting are very attractive for the target group of hospitals thus providing valuable insights for the adaptation of robot manufacturers’ business models.