By Dr. Christine Gall, Head of Healthcare Marketing
The concept of “care everywhere” may seem simple in theory but is more complex in practice. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed awareness of healthcare disparities in the U.S. to the forefront. Healthcare institutions needed to quickly rethink how care could be delivered safely outside their brick-and-mortar facilities to reach great numbers of patients with compromised access to care. In response, healthcare organizations and practitioners began leveraging various technologies such as telehealth services to provide care to patients on-demand.
Continued adoption of digital health strategies requires a thorough evaluation of patient outcomes, the review of the impact on the patient and provider experience, and assessment of associated costs compared to traditional health delivery models. The findings from this ongoing analysis must be continually shared with lawmakers and payers to ensure that healthcare reimbursement keeps pace with digital innovation. And it will be important to clearly articulate the value proposition that mobile, virtual, technology-supported care enables; improved access, improved outcomes, reduction in the utilization of costly care alternatives, and decreased overall cost.