(2018-04-30) Virtual Health Care Could Save The Us Billions Each Year

Virtual Health Care Could Save the U.S. Billions Each Year. Rising health care costs, a shortage of physicians, and an aging population are making the traditional model of care increasingly unsustainable. But new uses of virtual health and digital technologies may help the industry manage these challenges. A number of new technologies are helping to move elements of patient care from medical workers to machines and to patients themselves, allowing health care organizations to reduce costs by reducing labor intensity.

Virtual health refers to the use of enabling technology — such as video, mobile apps, text-based messaging, sensors, and social platforms (e-health)

Accenture analysis looked at the economic value of virtual health uses in three common care scenarios: an annual patient visit, ongoing patient management, and self-care.

For an annual patient visit

virtual medical assistants often guide the patient through standard intake questions

Common consumer devices, such as wearable sensors and biometric devices, would let health care providers automatically gather patient information.

An increasingly common alternative to in-person office visits for managing ongoing patient needs is eVisits, clinical exchanges completed through secure messaging in which patients submit information, questions, and images for physician review and response.

Self-care of chronic conditions is another major area where virtual health can be used to help patients remain medically stable. As an example, adults with diabetes can use sophisticated mobile technology, such as WellDoc and Livongo, to effectively manage their lifestyles and conditions, reducing the need for in-person encounters.

In mental health services, Ireland-based SilverCloud has combined cognitive behavioral therapy and asynchronous care with in-person therapy.

Another example of technology streamlining patient care is in simple tasks like common symptom triage. HealthTap’s doctor AI has been “trained” by using knowledge gleaned from half a decade’s worth of chats between doctors and patients with common symptom questions. The voice-based application allows patients to get a sharper sense of the urgency of their symptoms without guessing based on an internet search or talking to a nurse or doctor.