Analysis Finds 30% of Care Could Be Delivered Virtually. What’s Your Next Move?

For all its promise, virtual care has its limitations. Most times, patients still need to be seen in person. Questions remain, however: How much of care can be reasonably moved to a virtual setting? What will the balance between in-person and virtual care look like in the future? How will virtual-first or virtual-only care companies integrate with the physical care environment going forward?

In a recent analysis conducted by Second Opinion, a health-tech newsletter, and the digital health firm Omada found that about 30% of care can be delivered virtually. The conclusion was based on a review of more than 9,500 Category I CPT codes against a rubric of clinical feasibility for virtual care and other factors.

This 30% of care that can be virtualized keeps digital health companies humming. Many patients will self-select where virtual care makes more sense, the report notes, including musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes management and behavioral health. Others are consolidating to offer more comprehensive solutions that include bricks-and-mortar offerings and virtual options.

So, what should providers be focused on to optimize virtual care program designs? Here are some takeaways from the report:

• Personalize care in a way that couldn’t be duplicated in an in-person setting. Done right, virtual care can feel like it was shaped for each patient.
• Create better coordination among different types of caregivers. The best in-person providers locate specialties within their buildings. This approach can be even more powerful in a virtual setting.
• Deliver more value per medical credential. By combining people and technology, a medical professional’s credential can have further reach and deliver greater value at a lower cost.

With your organization’s data, health care leaders can think more deeply about what future care can and should look like.