Virtual Care – The Future Outlook of Healthcare

Historically, patients have obtained care by visiting providers’ offices or healthcare facilities. Such a model of healthcare has been traditionally known as a provider-centric model. However, due to recent technological advances, opportunities have arisen to enhance the existing patient-provider relationship.

This has been possible by creating new tools to support a patient-centric care model. This model differs from the provider-centric model since the providers and healthcare organizations try to provide care from a patient’s perspective. It includes services such as telehealth visits, a form of virtual care.

Thus, this improves the level of convenience for patients so they can access care from their providers.

Technology and Virtual Care

Virtual care involves the use of several technologies to provide care to patients. Today, virtual care shows great promise and a lot of investment in the form of digital healthcare tools, healthcare software, and applications. Hospitals and healthcare providers increasingly utilize digital equipment such as computers, smartphones, virtual stethoscopes, high-quality cameras, and wireless thermometers to deliver virtual care.

In addition, telehealth devices include remote monitoring devices for keeping track of patient vitals, such as wearable ECG devices, blood pressure devices, and blood glucose monitors. These also include HIPAA-compliant software for secure communication and data transmission.

Since many of these tools do not require the physical presence of the patient and the healthcare provider, this model is gaining popularity among the general populace. Nevertheless, let me shed some light on how virtual care influences the healthcare industry and how it can be expanded to complement healthcare as it exists today. Let us also see why virtual care will be the model of the future.

COVID-19 and Virtual Care

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most patients sought virtual care as they could not opt for in-person visits with their providers. At this time, the use of digital technologies boomed. From 11% in 2019, the use of digital technologies surged to 76% in 2020.?Today, the challenge for healthcare systems is to develop and integrate useful and sustainable virtual care tools as part of a broader care model so this can benefit the organizations and communities within the ambit of their service. ??

After the pandemic, some healthcare organizations have shifted back to the in-person care model. Still, many other organizations have continued to build on their virtual care platforms, so they can benefit their patients while advancing their organizational goals.

Why Virtual Care is the Future

Before the pandemic, the provider-centric model was almost exclusively the norm. However, the pandemic accelerated the shift from the provider-centric to the patient-centric model. A Medical Economics report stated that 93% of patients mentioned they would use telemedicine to manage prescriptions. Additionally, 91% said telemedicine would help them manage appointments, prescriptions, refills, and follow regimen recommendations.

So, given the experiences of patients who have experienced the benefits of virtual care, I believe that several healthcare providers are responding to this consumer demand and may be able to grow their local market share to explore new geographic regions.

Secondly, virtual care may reduce costs and improve healthcare outcomes. For example, a virtual care setup could include a combination of remote monitoring, in-person home care, and video visits so that patients can be provided care at home. Compared to a traditional hospitalization, such an arrangement could reduce costs by one-third. It also could deliver better patient outcomes while improving patient and family satisfaction at the same time.

Thirdly, virtual care can significantly improve access to care. For example, hospitals may use video visits to extend care to patients who cannot travel to their physical campuses.

Finally, it may be possible to utilize virtual care to allow healthcare organizations to better integrate and leverage their resources across their facilities. This can be made possible through consultation through electronic means such as video and phone consultations.

During the pandemic, healthcare providers were forced to expand their virtual care offerings rapidly. However, several healthcare providers were tempted to roll back to the traditional provider-centric model as the pandemic receded. Nevertheless, virtual care is no longer an option.

It has transformed into a basic expectation. Many healthcare organizations are now diving into the opportunity to advance patient-centric care that has value and is technology-enabled. I feel that in the future, virtual care will be fully integrated into the healthcare regimen.

So, virtual care will connect healthcare providers and patients in new and innovative ways to provide the individualized care that patients require.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments section below.