Virtual health: Extending the human touch in care delivery

The health care industry is primed for expanded adoption of virtual health. Several key factors are elevating stakeholder interest, including expected physician shortages, increased customer demand, continued advancements in enabling technologies, and evolving federal and state policies¹.

Health plans and employers, both of which have strong incentives to supplement personal care with virtual options, are at the forefront of industry adoption. Hospitals and health systems, however, may face physicians' hesitations, such as concerns about the potential loss of human touch in health care delivery and the impact on workload.

The resistance may be overcome if physicians and other clinicians embrace virtual health as an integrated delivery approach for treating their patient, complementary to rather than a replacement for in-person care; a delivery option that enhance provider-patient interactions and extends–not replaces–the human touch.

Virtual health technologies have the capacity to inform, personalize, accelerate, and augment humans' ability to care for one another. For providers, committing to virtual health at a personal and organizational level can afford an opportunity to deliver more connected, coordinated care.

Hospitals, health systems, and health plans are each uniquely positioned in the virtual health market, particularly because of their ability to impact care across the continuum². Yet, while many provider organizations acknowledge the trend toward virtual health, some stop short of fully embracing this delivery model. Clinical leaders fear that human-centered health care may end where virtual health technology begins—that virtual health may discount or even replace their value.

Additionally, providers are skeptical that virtual health actually decreases costs and are concerned about medical errors, access to technology, and data security³. As a result, providers are showing less enthusiasm for virtual health than consumers, and demand continues to outpace adoption across health systems.

Virtual health is not about technology replacing humans in health care, but about augmenting and supplementing providers to improve the delivery of care—moving from a focus on bedside to "webside" manner. Virtual care may help relieve clinicians of mundane, administrative, or routine tasks, affording them more opportunities to practice at the top of their license.

Further, virtual health can enhance patient-provider interactions and improve the overall patient experience. Studies and use cases demonstrate that providers can reduce costs, improve clinical outcomes, increase patient engagement, and expand access to care through virtual health programs.

To learn more about adopting virtual health care capabilities, download our full report.

Ken Abrams, MD, is a managing director with Deloitte Consulting LLP in Deloitte's Strategy practice and Deloitte's Life Science and Health Care national physician executive.

Chris Shudes is a principal in Deloitte Consulting LLP's Provider practice and the technology leader of Deloitte's Virtual Health practice.

Innovation starts with insight and seeing challenges in a new way. Amid unprecedented uncertainty and change across the health care industry, stakeholders are looking for new ways to transform the journey of care. Our US Health Care practice helps clients transform uncertainty into possibility and rapid change into lasting progress. Comprehensive audit, advisory, consulting, and tax capabilities can deliver value at every step, from insight to strategy to action. Our people know how to anticipate, collaborate, innovate, and create opportunity from even the unforeseen obstacle.

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