In our recent Benchmark Survey Report, we examined some of the trends that are shaping how healthcare organizations are deploying virtual care solutions. We examined the opportunities that exist for new players to get into the game, as well as how those that are already playing can expand their offerings. We also dove into some of the challenges that are being felt throughout the industry – whether in the day-to-day management of currently deployed virtual care platforms or the challenges that are expected by those that have yet to launch any telemedicine services. One thing was clear from our survey however, as virtual care continues to advance, the opportunities that exist in the industry greatly outweigh the challenges.
We’ve Come a Long Way
The truth is virtual care is nowhere near where it was 10 years ago, or even just last year for that matter. For example, our Benchmark Survey indicates that while the industry still leans heavily on video – one of the more traditional modes of care, video alone isn’t sufficient to meet the changing needs of today’s patients and providers. Because of this, many are turning to multi-modal care, with 61% of health systems reporting they offer more than one mode of care today. Which of these is gaining the most momentum? Believe it or not, it’s chat, with 44% of health systems saying they expect to include chat in their virtual care launch.
As technology changes, the clinical impact that these platforms provide also improves. Our study shows that virtual care solutions have the power to impact both clinical quality and efficiency. Quality reporting has always been difficult for healthcare providers, but 33% of survey respondents say their technology provider offers a reporting and analytics solution and 30% say their technology provider offers scheduled or ad hoc reporting. At the same time, virtual care is enabling providers to shorten patient visits by as much as 15 minutes – from the current patient visit average which is approximately 16 minutes to between one and five minutes, as reported in our survey. I don’t know about you but the ability to make five or ten times the health impact is an amazing opportunity I would not want to miss out on!
Miles to Go Before We Sleep
As much as virtual care has evolved, there are still hurdles that we need to get over before we can realize the adoption rates that we seek. What’s fascinating however is that the actual challenges providers face in their day-to-day operations are different from those that respondents anticipate they’ll encounter, which include integration, patient utilization, and claim management. Diving into each of these a bit deeper:
- Integration – EMR integration specifically, has long been a pain point for providers and our research shows that this is only growing as an important focus area as virtual care adoption moves into the mainstream. About 21% of survey respondents who have virtual care identify lack of EMR integration as a challenge, even though 42% say their service doesn’t integrate with the EMR at all. That’s in comparison to the fact that nearly 54% of our survey respondents expect EMR integration to be a major challenge.
- Patient Utilization – There’s still a bit of a “Field of Dreams” assumption to virtual care, despite research from multiple sources, including a 2018 Deloitte study, showing slow adoption. If you don’t believe me, just look at the disparity in the number of respondents in our survey who identified patient utilization as a challenge. Only 31% of those without a virtual care solution, compared to 64% of those with a virtual care service already deployed.
- Managing Claims – We also saw an under-realization of the challenges associated with managing claims and reimbursement. In fact, only 15% of respondents without a virtual care solution thought that this would be a top challenge, versus the 39% of those with virtual care services who acknowledged this obstacle. The truth is, the healthcare revenue cycle has many parts, making it difficult to manage. Increased integration of virtual care solutions with EMRs and other legacy systems are important and can help make your life a lot easier.
What Lies Ahead
As patients, providers and as those with a stake in the virtual care industry, we should feel encouraged by the opportunities we have at our fingertips. Our survey shows that nearly 100% of health systems expect utilization to increase in the next 12 months – and that’s great news for everyone! So where should we focus our efforts and what can we expect? Undoubtedly, there are many applications for virtual care, but there’s a growing desire for it to be used for more complex conditions, with a big focus on behavioral health. However, to realize this in an effective way, we need increased collaboration between the technology companies that are creating the virtual care solutions and the health systems that are deploying them.
Regardless, the fact that we’re seeing such confidence from health systems when it comes to expanding their virtual care offerings in the coming year, signals to us that the industry is ripe for incredible growth. And it’s about time! Virtual care has long suffered from slow adoption rates, brought on by patients who were hesitant about leaving their trusted physicians and providers who were weary of expected financial and technological barriers. But virtual care doesn’t have to be scary and as our survey shows, many organizations have skewed ideas about the challenges that actually exist in the industry. To overcome this perception, we must educate patients and providers about the opportunities associated with virtual care, while continuing to focus on improving the patient experience. Though technology vendors may provide the platform, I believe, it’s with health systems, who are in a unique position to confidently vouch for the integrity of virtual care, and effectively market the service to truly increase adoption expand access to quality health care.
