Is there a virtual health gap?

There is still work to be done to bring virtual health to consumers  

Despite acceptance by health systems, clinicians, and consumers, the growth of virtual health use has not increased much since the federal public health emergency ended in May 2023. Over the past few years, many health systems have increased their budgets and prioritized investments in digital technologies and capabilities like cloud and artificial intelligence.⁷ The current situation presents an opportunity for health systems to re-evaluate their virtual health strategies. There is growing consumer demand for health systems to expand and scale virtual health and other alternative site-of-care options, leveraging their already expanded technology and digital capabilities. These capabilities can enable greater patient acquisition and retention.

Health system executives looking to enhance their virtual health strategies can consider the following approaches:

Implement human-centered design principles. Virtual health approaches should prioritize the consumer’s perspective alongside that of clinicians and the organization. Both consumer and clinician feedback can guide strategic decisions, process designs, and investment considerations. Instead of merely replicating in-person experiences, health care organizations should design virtual health solutions to meet the specific needs and expectations of consumers. 

At the same time, virtual care should be seamlessly integrated into clinicians’ workflows to ensure high-quality care. Effective communication and education are essential to this approach. For example, health care organizations should educate patients about when virtual visits are appropriate for their care needs. Creating a virtual care experience that provides user-friendly digital platforms and tools can help enhance the patient experience.

Ensure equitable access and experiences. Due to inequities in health outcomes and the social, economic, and environmental drivers of health, some consumers may need tailored, additional, or specific support to achieve equitable access to and experiences with virtual health. Health systems should strive to ensure equitable access and experiences for all consumers. Strategies should include using virtual visits to attract patients who were previously uncomfortable or unable to access the health care system. For example, virtual health can help mitigate the stigma associated with certain conditions like mental health and provide better access to care for those with transportation difficulties or living in rural areas where physical clinics are not easily accessible.

Some consumers and communities may need additional support for virtual visits, such as access to broadband or technology literacy training, and some may simply need private spaces to conduct virtual visits. Health systems should collaborate with stakeholders to provide access to those in areas with broadband/internet issues. Consumers with lower literacy levels may need content in simpler language, and content in multiple languages may be necessary for certain geographic groups to improve accessibility. A diverse and representative virtual care delivery team could help improve the acceptance of this care model. Additionally, health systems should aim to attract diverse and representative talent to design the technology and digital tools, helping ensure that services resonate with diverse populations.

Assess financial, operational, and strategic opportunities. Health systems should consider conducting a pricing analysis to understand the financial implications of virtual care versus in-person visits across different patient cohorts, appointment types, and settings. This analysis can provide valuable insights for identifying growth opportunities and enhancing patient retention. Additionally, health systems should focus on developing process flows and operations that make virtual health options financially viable. This could involve creating more capacity to increase patient volumes and expand the book of business. Clinicians could see more patients due to quicker appointment turnover, and clinics could extend hours of operation to make care more accessible by having clinicians work flexible online shifts.

Establishing command centers dedicated to virtual health, where staff conduct virtual visits, monitor patients, and assess capacity, could also lead to cost efficiencies by operating centrally or virtually. Leveraging generative AI and other technologies to support staffing and processes could further enhance financial viability. As part of this effort, organizations should define value and metrics for virtual health that go beyond return on investment. Metrics for patient satisfaction and outcomes—both of which have financial implications—should be measured and tracked alongside financial and operational metrics. 

Continue to invest in digital and technological advancements. While many health systems have already made digital and technology investments that have enhanced their capabilities,⁸ the health care sector still lags behind other industries.⁹ To bridge this gap, health systems should consider investing in a diverse portfolio of technologies that can be used for virtual health care delivery. This could include digital platforms that can be seamlessly integrated with electronic health records and other systems. Technologies like unlimited reality (encompassing virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality) could help enhance the virtual experience by creating immersive environments.¹⁰ For example, immersive VR allows mental health professionals to perform patient assessments, interventions, and monitoring in a safe, controlled, and personalized environment. Additionally, health systems should consider prioritizing their investments in enabling technologies such as cloud computing and gen AI, which can help improve operations, efficiencies, and care delivery.