Virtual health care delivery continues to make significant leaps forward following an initial surge in use during the early days of Covid-19.
In 2020, health care providers nationwide saw a rise in the number of telemedicine appointments. They provided an option for patients — and providers — who wanted to avoid waiting rooms where Covid-19 could spread. At Pittsburgh-based insurer Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, for example, telehealth utilization increased more than 3,600% from 2019 to 2020, with more than 3.5 million claims processed for those services.
Many of those patients tried virtual health care for the first time and discovered they liked the format. Even as the Covid vaccines rolled out and many pandemic restrictions were lifted, telehealth visits remain well above their 2019 levels. For instance, there were more than 3.3 million virtual care claims in 2021 at Highmark.
In-person care with a physician isn't going away. Still, the data indicate people have adapted to virtual care. They appreciate the convenience of not having to travel, overcome mobility and transportation issues or juggle busy schedules. There’s also peace of mind that comes from not being exposed to potentially contagious patients.
“There had been virtual visits going on for many years,” Laura Messineo, RN, MHA, Highmark’s vice president of enterprise virtual health, said on an episode of the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Health Care Reinvented podcast. “It was a nice-to-have and became a must-have during this pandemic.”
Virtual care means more than a video call
Now that consumers have embraced the idea of a virtual care visit, providers and insurers are expanding the practice, Messineo said. Instead of simply having a video conference call with a health care provider, virtual care now can include deploying basic medical tools to a patient’s home to assist with diagnosis and monitoring. These devices might include a stethoscope, otoscope, derma scope, a scale, thermometer or blood pressure cuff. At-home diagnostic tests, such as those for Covid-19, are also on the rise and may expand to include flu and other illnesses.
The next wave of innovation, Messineo said, is developing the hospital-at-home concept. This will involve deploying technology typical of a hospital setting, including things like IV pumps and oxygen supplies, in patients' homes, along with technology that allows clinicians to monitor them virtually.
“We're reimagining health care,” she said. “We're trying to come up with solutions to better manage patients in their home throughout the care continuum from healthy prevention to acute care and to post-acute care.”
Virtual health, a benefit employees expect
Employers also are taking note of this health care trend, as employees are increasingly interested in having good virtual health options as part of their benefits package. This is especially true among workers in younger generations.
According to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s 2021 State of Healthcare Report, members of Generation Z and millennials are resisting a return to in-person care, with 44% saying they may switch providers if they can’t make telehealth visits. Baby boomers still show a strong preference for in-person care, with just a quarter saying they prefer telehealth, compared to more than 70% of Gen X, Gen Z and millennials.
Telehealth services are helping address chronic conditions affecting productivity
Employers also benefit from the increase in virtual health care as the delivery is helping address several chronic conditions that can affect worker productivity.
Chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) problems are one area where virtual health care is making a positive impact. Highmark, for example, launched its Well360 Motion program for self-funded employer groups in collaboration with SWORD Health Inc., a health technology company that specializes in a digital approach to physical therapy for muscle and joint pain.
Diabetes is another costly chronic condition that impacts patients and employers' bottom lines. The American Diabetes Association recently estimated that diagnosed diabetes cost $327 billion in the U.S. in 2017, including $237 billion in direct medical costs and $90 billion in reduced productivity. Highmark offers a virtual care program called Well360 Diabetes Management for adults with type 2 diabetes. The program is powered by Onduo, a Verily company, and gives members simple, personalized and proactive support. It includes help with medication compliance, healthy eating and exercising, as well as a virtual health clinic, remote prescriptions, and care coordination with primary care physicians.
The important role of virtual care in behavioral health
Virtual health care delivery also plays an increasingly important role in behavioral health, which has seen a jump in demand over the past few years. Highmark’s Well360 Virtual Health program is one example of this in action. It offers virtual behavioral health therapy and medication support, often faster than accessing in-person care. The company also is using virtual health and online support tools to assist members with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), eating disorders, substance use disorder, alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder.
“When you add it up, virtual care is here to stay,” Dr. Timothy Law, vice president and executive medical director for Highmark, said in a recent article for the health insurance trade association AHIP. “Increased access to care plus tools that help manage chronic conditions can result in increased productivity and lower health care costs. That is a good thing for employers and businesses.”
See all the ways Highmark members can access care, both in-person and virtually, by visiting highmark.com/because-life/access-to-care/.
One of America's leading health insurance organizations and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Highmark Inc. (the Health Plan) and its affiliated health plans (collectively, the Health Plans) work to deliver high-quality, accessible, understandable, and affordable experiences, outcomes, and solutions to customers.
Lauren Lawley Head is a freelance writer for The Business Journals Content Studio.
