“Godmother of Consumer-Driven Healthcare”: An Interview with Regina Herzlinger

“For example, with a container of yogurt, I know its price, calories, calcium content, and vitamin content. But if I need a hip replacement, I have no data to judge the quality of the physician, hospital, or other sites where the surgery might be performed.”

On February 2nd, Merion West’s Henri Mattila interviewed Harvard Business School (HBS)’s Regina E. Herzlinger, who serves as the Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration. Notably, she was the first woman to serve as chair or earn tenure at the school.

Active in formulating national policy, Professor Herzlinger drafted Senator John McCain’s presidential healthcare platform and has also consulted for both the United States Congress and the President’s office on healthcare policy. She established the HBS Health Care Initiative and received the inaugural HBS Student Association Faculty Award for her excellence in accounting education.

Among numerous private sector engagements, Professor Herzlinger co-founded two firms in medical technology and served on several corporate boards, including Cardinal Health and John Deere.

Her new book Innovating in Healthcare: Creating Breakthrough Services, Products, and Business Models will be available later this year.