Virtual care was thrust into the spotlight in 2020. Once thought of as a “backup plan” to traditional brick-and-mortar healthcare, the global pandemic made virtual care the preferred method of care for millions of consumers who were unable, or unwilling, to receive in-person care. In fact, 46% of people used telehealth services in 2020 compared to 11% in 2019—an incredible increase of 318%.
While many of these consumers experienced virtual care for the first time in 2020, its place in post-pandemic care delivery becomes more permanent every day.
“The pandemic has accelerated the widespread adoption of virtual care,” said Jason Gorevic, CEO of Teladoc Health, “and I’m confident there’s no going back.”
As we look to the future of virtual care, Teladoc Health believes it is essential to shift the role of virtual care from primarily helping with specific, episodic needs, such as a rash or allergies, to longitudinal patient relationships that support consumers across their health journey. For health plans, this approach can create a “domino effect” of benefits. Convenient and comprehensive virtual care leads to higher utilization among members, which in turn creates better clinical outcomes. All of which helps health plans improve consumer satisfaction and build a stronger bottom line.
“Teladoc is the only virtual care organization to deliver and enable full-spectrum, whole-person care, from home to hospital worldwide,” said Gorevic.
Charting the path to whole-person virtual care
In taking a whole-person approach to virtual care, Teladoc Health is creating more access to care and improving member health. In 2021, we plan to further enable, deliver and empower access to care in order to improve health outcomes through innovative care delivery. High-quality, personalized care powered by connected devices and deep data insights make whole-person virtual care a reality. We’ll continue to work closely with health plans and employers to ensure the full spectrum of real‐world healthcare services are accessible to everyone.
“Soon we will stop differentiating virtual care from traditional care,” noted Kelly Bliss, president, U.S. Group Health, Teladoc Health, “and whole-person care will become the standard, yielding better outcomes than a traditional approach alone.”
Building on five key perspectives
As we look to the future of virtual care, we will focus on these essential perspectives.
Whole-person virtual care is essential care
Whole-person virtual care augments and extends care delivery—both episodically and longitudinally—to help close widening gaps across strained global healthcare systems.
New possibilities for quality care at scale
Delivering evidence-based care and quality at scale requires real-time data from connected devices, powerful insights and an active learning environment that informs each patient-provider interaction.
An emerging hybrid model of collaborative care
Combining traditional, in-person healthcare visits with virtual care expands the capability and capacity of health systems, enabling clinicians to maintain continuity of care.
Technology plus human interaction transforms the healthcare experience
Highly personalized, efficient and convenient experiences influence consumer expectations and behavior in every aspect of life—including healthcare.
Widespread access is fundamental to whole-person care
Virtual care removes barriers to care by extending access and personalized healthcare experiences to underserved populations.
Learn more about the future of whole-person virtual care
Teladoc Health has created a dedicated website where you can watch engaging videos about the five virtual care perspectives noted above and download an informative ebook. Please visit teladochealth.com/perspectives.