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Sales & After-Sales | Healthcare | Innovation

Medical Technology Development: Actively Involving Physicians in Early-Stage Product Development at Siemens

Advisory boards comprising physicians are standard practice in the medical technology sector, but at Siemens Healthineers, participation rates continued to decline, and physicians reported that the format no longer provided any added value. BOLD KBC Center for Innovation, using “The BOLD Way” methodology, developed “Advisory Board 2.0” in collaboration with Siemens—co-creation with physicians instead of passive presentations. Physicians were actively involved in the early stages of new product development. The disruptive results became apparent quickly: product concepts that physicians truly need, with very positive feedback and active participation.

Medical Technology Development by the Numbers

New Format: "
" “Advisory Board 2.0”
Satisfied Doctors

The Customer

Siemens Healthineers

Siemens Healthineers is a global manufacturer of medical technology whose portfolio includes imaging systems such as C-arms for intraoperative use. The company regularly held advisory board meetings with physicians to discuss product innovations and identify market needs. Over time, however, participation steadily declined. In addition, the physicians had provided feedback that the format no longer delivered any added value, which led to a decline in the quality of the feedback and a growing disconnect between the development team and the users. As a result, the development of new products was hampered by a fragmented understanding of which innovations physicians actually needed.

The Project

Development of Medical Technology Through Co-Creation at Siemens

BOLD KBC Center for Innovation, in collaboration with Siemens, developed “Advisory Board 2.0,” a fundamentally new approach that no longer invites physicians merely as recipients of presentations, but actively involves them in the innovation process at an early stage and highlights a shift in perspective. Doctors were invited to reflect on new products—not merely in the abstract, but using disruptive innovation methodology. The core idea was not simply to present ideas to doctors and wait for their feedback, but to involve them at a much earlier stage. 

Following the principles of “The BOLD Way,” existing processes and formats are not merely optimized step by step, but systematically reimagined. In Advisory Board 2.0, the repeated and modified involvement of physicians follows the logic of the multiplication methodology: The existing advisory board format was not abolished, but was incorporated into the innovation process multiple times in a qualitatively new form, with active participation rather than purely passive presentation.

Portrait photo of John Dowling, a partner at Kemény Boehme Consultants (KBC). A man with short, graying hair and square dark glasses looks calmly and confidently into the camera. He is wearing a dark navy blue suit over a light blue shirt without a tie, with one hand in his pants pocket.
Portrait photo of John Dowling, a partner at Kemény Boehme Consultants (KBC). A man with short, graying hair and square dark glasses looks calmly and confidently into the camera. He is wearing a dark navy blue suit over a light blue shirt without a tie, with one hand in his pants pocket.

This Is How We View Development in Medical Technology and Co-Creation

For the BOLD KBC Center for Innovation, advancing medical technology does not mean designing products in isolation and then hoping for market acceptance. It means actively involving those who will later use the technology on a daily basis as partners in the innovation process. The earlier physicians are involved, the greater the likelihood that the final product will offer genuine added value.

John Dowling, Partner at KBC

The result

Valuable Innovations in Medical Technology Development at Siemens

The new advisory board format was very well received by the physicians and generated a great deal of positive feedback. Instead of passively limiting themselves to pre-existing ideas, the physicians actively contributed to the development of product concepts that offer them real benefits. The positive response, active participation, and more focused development efforts demonstrate that the framework of the innovative “The BOLD Way” method can also contribute to professionally applicable results when used in co-creation with external experts.

Portrait photo of John Dowling, a partner at Kemény Boehme Consultants (KBC). A man with short, gray-streaked hair and distinctive dark brown rectangular glasses looks calmly and intently into the camera. He is wearing a dark blue suit with a matching jacket and pants over a light blue shirt without a tie; one hand is casually in his pants pocket, the other loosely at his side, and he maintains an upright and confident posture.
Portrait photo of John Dowling, a partner at Kemény Boehme Consultants (KBC). A man with short, gray-streaked hair and distinctive dark brown rectangular glasses looks calmly and intently into the camera. He is wearing a dark blue suit with a matching jacket and pants over a light blue shirt without a tie; one hand is casually in his pants pocket, the other loosely at his side, and he maintains an upright and confident posture.
John Dowling
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