Telehealth took off as COVID-19 accelerated the adoption — and necessity — of online support. After two years, it’s safe to say that
A national study by telehealth company Teladoc Health found that 70% of organizations plan to implement a whole-person virtual care strategy in the next three years. But as of now, only 20% of organizations have fully implemented a virtual care strategy, hinting at the amount of progress due to happen in this space.
In response, Teladoc launched a virtual care transformation model, which will provide a framework for employers and health plans who want to assess and integrate their healthcare offerings with virtual care.
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“We are finding that the employers are in a sea of point solutions and opportunities, but need guidance,” says Kelly Bliss, president of U.S. group health at Teladoc. “Our goal is to provide a non-prescriptive framework for employers and health plans to build a digital health program that will better the health of individuals.”
Teladoc’s offering will tackle five key areas of virtual care: plan design, program offerings, member experience, performance measurement and governance. The platform will guide employers through the process of designing a plan that can adapt to a virtual-first approach, while reducing healthcare costs for workers and plan participants.
Teladoc will also work with clients on program offerings, to ensure virtual care services are addressing the healthcare needs of everyone within that given population. Then, member experience will assess how virtual services are promoted and integrated into a healthcare program or plan. Performance measurement wants to know if virtual care is actually improving access, cost and health outcomes. Lastly, governance questions how a company’s leadership is driving the implementation of virtual care.
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“This is about understanding where you’re at in terms of current scale of care, population health and clinical gaps,” says Bliss. “Everyone’s goals will be unique, and without globally applicable standards that guide decisions on your virtual care strategy, it’s hard to know if you’re on the right path.”
For Bliss, this comprehensive offering can help companies take the next step on the path to fully integrated virtual care, something they’re unable to do without assessing their current offerings, as well as their populations.
For example, if an employer knows many of their workers live in rural areas with limited primary care physicians, they should consider expanding a virtual primary care offering, so employees can get access to a care provider who can also offer referrals to local providers if further help is needed. And if an employer already offers virtual care for acute needs like colds and rashes, they should look for a primary care solution that combines physical and mental healthcare.
The transformation model is intended to help employers and health plans build upon their success with the telehealth model they may have already implemented before or during the pandemic, explains Bliss. But full integration looks different than a few virtual visits to one’s primary care physician — Bliss believes whole-person virtual care changes how people conceptualize healthcare.
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“In models of the past, a provider couldn’t look at your lab results, refer you to other resources and engage with you beyond your immediate concern in the same conversation,” she says. “Virtual care can address the reality of health, where it’s not just about interacting on an illness basis but on a well-being basis.”
This reconceptualization could mean the difference between positive results and wasteful healthcare spend. In a case study by Teladoc, manufacturing company Graco managed to better the lives of workers with diabetes by providing Teladoc virtual care solutions that addressed not only diabetes but hypertension, dyslipidemia, weight challenges and mental health. Nearly 40% of members experienced an improvement in their health.
“We will continue to build out the assets available to employers and health plans so they can grow their capabilities,” says Bliss. “The future of care is changing, and in the next three years, we are going to be so much further along.”
