Now that consumers have gotten a taste for its potential, innovators and investors are working hard to invest in new solutions to define the model of health care delivery going forward.
After skyrocketing into the spotlight during the pandemic, virtual health care's popularity appears to be waning. Several reports over the past several months have pointed to a decline in use as Americans return to the in-office setting–at least for some medical services.
In its most recent report, McKinsey & Company offers a glimpse of the rise and all of telehealth use over the past year, as well as what to expect going forward. While usage has dropped, it still remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels and will continue to make up a significant portion of health care delivery going forward.
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"Virtual health care models and business models are evolving and proliferating, moving from purely 'virtual urgent care' to a range of services enabling longitudinal virtual care, integration of telehealth with other virtual health solutions, and hybrid virtual/in-person care models," the authors of the report write.
Indeed, despite the existence of telehealth services for years, true virtual health care is still in its infancy. Now that consumers have gotten a taste for its potential, innovators and investors are working hard to invest in new solutions to define the model of health care delivery going forward. Then there's the issue of government regulation and debate over reimbursement rates for telehealth services.
The McKinesy report outlined several other challenges that will have to be overcome before virtual care can reach its full potential, including:
- Better data integration and improved data flow
- Better integration of online and in-person care delivery
- Alignment of incentives, focusing in particular on value-based care delivery
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Emily Payne
Emily Payne is director, content analytics for ALM's Business & Finance Markets and former managing editor for BenefitsPRO. A Wisconsin native, she has spent the past decade writing and editing for various athletic and fitness publications. She holds an English degree and Business certificate from the University of Wisconsin.
