Healthcare is changing as a result of digital transformation, increasing life expectancy and changing social norms. However, reshaping healthcare through sustainable innovation and the creation of uncontested market space does not primarily require an exclusive focus on technology, but a nuanced understanding of future healthcare needs – of patients as well as society. These future needs – which can be contradictory – are the foundation for effective solutions and technologies. This requires a renewed focus on social innovation aimed at future needs and the fundamental structures of healthcare systems as a next step in the process of redesigning healthcare.