How Did Covid-19 Boost Virtual Care In The Healthcare Segment?

According to a report published in 2017, 60% of US citizens showed interest in remote or virtual healthcare services. Now, in 2022, the value of virtual healthcare has increased by leaps and bounds. Mckinsey highlighted that use of overall virtual care services especially telemedicine and telehealth was 78 times higher than pre-Covid and early Covid times.

So, what is virtual care in healthcare? As the name indicates, patients can consult with the entire healthcare community online without visiting them personally for consultation through virtual care in healthcare-related software developed by companies like Knovator Technologies. Virtual care is a broad term consisting of many new healthcare terms like telemedicine, telehealth, remote patient monitoring, patient eligibility, and online prior authorization systems.

In a nutshell, virtual care refers to the real-time virtual visits taking place between patients, physicians, nurses, clinical admins and other healthcare staff around any part of the world through an online text, video, and SMS communication medium. Many advanced terms like remote patient monitoring and medical devices integration into telemedicine software are now also part of the virtual care segment.

Virtual healthcare vs telemedicine vs telehealth apps: What is the meaning of each term?

Virtual healthcare is an umbrella term for the telemedicine and telehealth industry. Although a free consultation with a healthcare software development company like Knovator Technologies can help you understand the core difference practically, we will talk about the differences briefly here.

Virtual care includes all the digital and real-time “ways” a patient can interact with doctors and nurses. Post consultation, a digital follow-up, remote monitoring of vitals, patient records availability, clinical support, future healthcare roadmap, and more are covered in virtual care. Now, the telemedicine and telehealth segment concentrates more on the digital tools for connecting patients and physicians while virtual care covers every healthcare service that can be delivered virtually.

Virtual care is the future. However, there are challenges faced by the virtual healthcare community that also creates roadblocks for this industry. Let’s discuss the pertinent challenges:

Top 3 challenges faced by the virtual healthcare industry

• Data entry issues in entering diagnosis

  In absence of EMR/EHR records, there are chances of the patient being misdiagnosed. Knovator’s software includes automation and compliance to address this problem and eradicate this challenge faced by virtual care in the healthcare industry.

• Communication issues

  It is possible to miss an important patient or physician conversation if the network quality is bad at either end. This can be solved using text messaging services available in a telemedicine app developed by a healthcare software development company.

• IoT device malfunction

  Remote patient monitoring involves data collected from smart healthcare equipment(s) connected to a patient. Malfunctioning of any equipment may provide wrong insight.

Knovator’s telemedicine app development solves the above challenges. Indeed, it is a great time for telehealth and virtual care apps and there are many types of applications that can be developed as part of a startup.

5 models in telehealth and virtual care to watch out for post Covid-19

• On-demand virtual care

  Now, avoid EDI patients and hospital readmissions by solving your medical treatment needs with on-demand virtual care. You can connect with a physician across geographies in minutes and get after-hours consultation also with this model.

• Virtual hospital visits

  As mentioned above, there are many conditions like common symptoms, eye infections, conjunctivitis, blood pressure, sugar, oxygen monitoring and more that do not require physical visits to a hospital. You can use the omnichannel virtual care software in healthcare to manage your health better with better outcomes through remote monitoring, follow-ups, and digital coaching.

• Cloud or near-virtual visits

  Patients can go a to nearby lab or clinic in case a specific diagnosis is required to fasten the treatment time and also reduce the burden to travel unless deemed necessary
  For example, a patient with flu or Covid-19 symptoms can visit a nearby clinic to take a Covid-19 test and receive follow-ups and virtual check-in with a primary care physician [PCP].  Now, with the available reporting data, a PCP can differentiate symptoms, prescribe medications, and treatment plan accordingly.

• Virtual home care services

  Let’s take an example where a physician or therapist can conduct virtual sessions to understand the progress of your treatment and decide the next course of action for better outcomes. Another example is of a bone surgeon who can tell you to do a certain movement and prescribe further treatment. With remote monitoring, virtual visits, and digital patient engagement tools like a smartwatch that can record your vitals, a virtual home care services’ model is a hit.

• Technology blended virtual medication administration

  With remote monitoring, a clinical team can provide self-service tools to a patient for self-administration of injections and drugs. Similarly, telehealth services like a nurse administering chemotherapy and monitoring sessions with the help of a video chat with a cancer specialist are possible.

We feel confident that the above model of virtual care is here to stay and healthcare companies that are looking to invest in the above models of care should hire a healthcare software development company to develop healthcare apps that address the above models.

However, just going by the above article should not convince you that virtual care adoption is here to stay. Let’s conclude this article by quoting trends from reputed sources in support of the increased virtual care boom.

4 facts that support virtual healthcare adoption and hiring a virtual healthcare and software development company to build virtual telemedicine, telehealth apps

1. Forbes reported the telehealth industry has seen increased traction to nearly 40 times post- Covid.
2. There is a 65% rise in the download of medical and virtual care apps.
3. Investment in virtual healthcare reached $15billion which is double the amount invested in 2019.
4. The number of virtual visits has skyrocketed to 1 billion consultations and medical telehealth appointments are rising as per this article on Forbes.

Conclusion

There is never a better time than now to start your virtual care healthcare business. You can consult with Knovator Technologies – a telemedicine app development company. It’s your one-stop solution for all virtual healthcare needs right from EMR/EHR solutions, patient engagement solutions, remote monitoring, telehealth, and mobile apps related to telemedicine and clinical solutions.