BLOG: Hybridizing Care with Virtual

By Kathryn Austin, Director of Health System Business Development & Strategy at 98point6

When we talk to health systems about what’s keeping them up at night, answers invariably include a need to keep pace with rapidly changing, volatile conditions. Over a number of these conversations, a few universal truths have emerged:

• Health systems know post-Gen X generations are not leveraging traditional primary care relationships. In many cases, and especially for those cost-conscious consumers on high-deductible health plans, they have not been leveraging health systems, relying instead on walk-in clinics for acute episodes of care.
• Balance sheets have tightened. Adding additional real estate through brick-and-mortar clinics is not only expensive, but also unsound when considered alongside balancing consumer expectations with staffing shortages and labor expense.
• Ecosystem relationships have to shift. In one of the worst years for health systems and best years for payors, health systems have an opportunity to serve their communities more broadly by deepening their work with employers and rebalancing the power between payor and provider. In addition, health systems shouldn’t compromise the consumer experience by relying on a single suite of technology offerings.

So, how can health systems rise to the changing market conditions they face?

This is a unique moment for these organizations to leverage digital solutions to orchestrate care across in-person and virtual care settings. When 98point6 decided to license its technology and share its expertise in operating a virtual care clinic, we saw the opportunity for health systems to:

• Build a pool of virtualists that offers 24/7 coverage and extends their catchment area. Health systems have experimented with many operating models of virtual care over the last three years, but most have agreed that oscillating between virtual and in-person visits proved challenging for the cognitive load of providers and scheduling. Pooling staffing for virtual care with advanced analytics and forecasting models enables health systems to flexibly manage supply and demand.
• Think of virtual care as a new channel for growth and coordination between in-person and virtual care. Virtual ambulatory care solutions present new and interesting ways to engage with a health system, particularly for those populations that are not able to, or interested in, engaging with traditional primary care channels. Virtual primary care and behavioral health offers a new on-ramp into the healthcare system.
• Bring together digitally-enabled advanced integration, care coordination, and care navigation into a care model that enables health systems to effectively orchestrate care for patients. Integration with CRMs, call centers, and other solutions enables health systems to create personalized experiences for patients and route patients to the right specialists at the right time.
• Start thinking about near-virtual visits. Most organizations have done a great job of identifying visit types that can be fully virtualized, but have not started to break down the components of visits to create partially virtual and partially in-person encounters. This is a big opportunity for systems as they move beyond traditional primary care and behavioral health delivery and consider broadening ambulatory care through digital solutions.
• Finally, do not be afraid of AI. As asynchronous technology has improved, much of the historical data can be automated for the patient, mimicking the in-person conversations we value with our providers. Rather than introducing variability in care, virtual care should provide additional scaffolding and oversight to reduce clinical variability.

No matter current volumes or solutions in place at a health system, hybrid ambulatory and virtual care models empower health systems to meet patient demand and act as a horizontal layer creating connective tissue across channels. Through emerging models for care that treat the whole person and optimize the patient’s care continuum, we are ushering in the next wave of healthcare right before our eyes.

Learn more about virtual primary care by visiting the 98point6 Team at ATA2023, Booth #1103.

Kathryn Austin is Director of Health System Business Development & Strategy at 98point6. Using technology to augment the reach of physicians and provide on-demand access, the company is making primary care more accessible and affordable than ever before. The 98point6 virtual clinic provides primary care delivered by U.S. board-certified physicians who are empowered to diagnose, treat, prescribe, order labs and follow up with patients via the company’s AI-powered, text-based mobile platform.