In 2020, virtual visits accounted for 70 to 80% of care. Hospitals and physician offices established protocols to ensure only the most complex patients were seen in person during the first months of the pandemic, while consumers avoided in-person care to reduce their risk of infection.
Because COVID-19 accelerated telehealth’s value proposition, employers and health plans have a lot to consider: What’s the right way to leverage telehealth to ensure at-risk members receive the right care at the right time and on their own terms?
Consider the following insights when designing a virtual care benefits strategy:
- Make it easy to access virtual care support, from live consultations to online chats with a nurse to audio advice. A recent survey from Amwell shows that 76% of consumers will use telehealth post-COVID. Because the ways in which people access care have shifted dramatically, members will want easily accessible and highly personalized virtual care support for many years to come.
- Consider access to specialty care. There is increased willingness among specialty providers to embrace virtual visits. With one out of three patients referred to a specialist every year, health plans and employers should ensure that their virtual offerings include access to a breadth of specialists.
- Ensure members and physicians have the information they need to make the most of their encounter before the visit begins. Care has shifted to longitudinal care, supported by a hybrid approach of in-person and virtual encounters. It’s critical that employers and health plans design their virtual care benefits strategy with one thing in mind: the member experience. Arm providers and members alike with the tools and education they need to succeed at digital encounters.
There’s no turning back. COVID-19 has solidified virtual care’s value proposition. How are you readying your organization for the industry’s digital transformation?
For more information about what to include in your virtual care benefits strategy, or to view The Clinic by Cleveland Clinic’s approach to virtual care delivery, download our white paper.
