The impact of service separation on value: A longitudinal study of user and provider experiences in a mental health service

Digital innovations are changing how public organizations deliver services through the creation of service separation. Service separation refers to the decoupling of service production and consumption in digital platforms, which affects both users and providers alike. Since the global pandemic, service separation has become established in many healthcare settings, though little is known about how it has been experienced by service actors in specialist service settings such as mental healthcare. Positioned at the (sub)micro-level of service interaction, our study provides a dual view of service separation to reveal its influence on value (co)creation and potential for value destruction in a 12-month longitudinal study. The findings draw on three waves of semi-structured interviews (n = 67), an end-of-study focus group with patients and psychologists, and qualitative diary entries. Integrating service actors' attitudes, beliefs, and experiences over time, the article presents the Service Separation Value Journey to show how digital service separation shapes value creation/destruction in specialized healthcare settings.