To Boost Healthcare ROI :
Employers are searching for innovative strategies to provide top-notch healthcare benefits to their employees and their organization at the lowest feasible cost as open enrollment approaches. one of the most widely used strategies? integrating digital healthcare possibilities into insurance plans for health care.
The vast majority of businesses (96%) provide telehealth as a benefit, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s 2021 Employer Health Benefits Survey. In the context of pulse oximetry, a result like this would represent saturation that is almost at its maximum. Although 74% of employers think virtual care can change the way care is delivered, they also think it has value beyond one-time visits for urgent medical needs. For instance, 69% of respondents plan to include virtual primary care in insurance packages by 2025, while 84% want telehealth to be more closely linked with in-person treatment.
Data also indicates that when it comes to one-time needs, employees desire more from virtual care than just video visits. Only one in five businesses today report telemedicine usage rates of at least 8%.
Employers have more chances than ever to increase virtual care capabilities for better care at reduced costs while raising engagement as digital health technology develops. Here are three things to think about:
Care Management Digital Entry Points
Virtual medical visits appear to receive the majority of media attention when it comes to digital health, which is understandable. It’s really convenient to be able to see a doctor via webcam from the comfort of your home or even from a secluded room at work. It’s critical to open healthcare’s “digital front door” toward services that assist staff members in better managing their health in order to realise the full potential of virtual care, which goes beyond “lights, camera, action.” This includes access to powerful apps or patient portals where staff members may look for a doctor, schedule appointments, renew prescriptions, check test results, and more.
Even when records and providers are situated in separate health systems, the best solutions make it simple for members to access their medical records securely and share them with general and specialty care physicians. They also make it easier to schedule virtual care (since 43% of consumers are dissatisfied with their ability to do so digitally, according to a UnitedHealth survey), find information about a provider, and streamline co-management of care, which is crucial for people with chronic conditions, who “account for three-quarters of doctor’s visits and 9 out of 10 prescriptions.”
Long-Term Care Management
Digital apps or portals are only a small part of comprehensive virtual care management. Additionally, patient monitoring is included. Synchronous and asynchronous patient monitoring, in conjunction with AI and ML capabilities, is assuming a more prominent role. In a poll from 2021, more than 50% of healthcare professionals claimed they had advised patients to utilise smartphone and tablet apps to track and monitor their treatment, and 36% had suggested smartwatches and other wearables that could check things like glucose levels, blood pressure, and heart rate.
The promise of remote patient monitoring to enhance illness outcomes and reduce treatment costs for payers, employers, and employees is, in fact, rising in acceptance. It’s one of the reasons that 65% of benefit executives at self-insured Fortune 500 organisations anticipate a rise in the number of members who may use remote patient monitoring.
Increasing Access To Specialized Knowledge
One out of every ten patients with cancer, an infection, or a serious vascular event like a heart attack or stroke receives a false diagnosis each year. Employers lose $4 billion a year due to diagnostic mistakes alone connected to breast cancer. In order to assist manage costs, more organisations are providing access to online second opinions. It’s one of the factors that will contribute to the second opinions industry in healthcare exceeding $10 billion by 2027.
No matter where they are located, employees can more easily access medical specialists who specialise in their condition by using virtual second opinions. The nationwide lack of medical professionals in all ailments exacerbates this issue. They also lessen the need for dependents and employees to travel. Some programmes offer nurse liaisons who compile patients’ records on their behalf, forward them to a specialist for review, schedule a video consultation, and make arrangements for the delivery of reports to the patient and their local provider following the consultation.
Virtual second opinions can help employees cope with the stress of a difficult ailment by ensuring they get the right diagnosis and treatment plan. It’s a benefit that gives people peace of mind while safeguarding their livelihood and health.
Virtual Care: Moving Beyond “One And Done”
Including a variety of virtual care choices in healthcare coverage packages can assist prevent situations in which employees’ medical illnesses go untreated, are poorly managed, or are improperly treated. Additionally, it expands access to care and medical knowledge whenever and wherever employees need it, boosting engagement while enhancing productivity. A more thorough approach will be necessary to fully realise the benefits of virtual care for employees and businesses in 2022 and beyond.
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