Evidence-based telehealth maximizes the potential of virtual care

Three crucial elements will differentiate future-proof virtual care

Organizations that want to apply the many telehealth benefits should prioritize differentiating their offering and leveraging specialization to apply hybrid models of care that extend patient or member support beyond each healthcare interaction. This strategic focus can be key to driving patient satisfaction through educational resources that leverage telehealth technology and can improve health literacy.

To successfully launch these programs, healthcare leaders should focus on the three pillars of telehealth evolution: flexibility, connection, and accessibility.

1. Flexibility of telehealth content and software: Meeting patient needs and extending clinician efforts

Telehealth solutions should be adaptable enough to meet both patients and clinicians where they are.

Patient needs and expectations are changing rapidly and are heavily influenced by factors outside the control of healthcare leaders, such as technology experiences in other industries like retail, banking, and travel. Today’s patients now expect their healthcare experiences to keep up with their options and flexibility in other areas of their lives.

Virtual care and educational content solutions can be powerful tools for meeting these expectations. Additionally, provider shortages and burnout issues mean that healthcare leaders should look for ways to extend the efforts of their clinicians in a way that alleviates pressure and empowers patients outside the care setting. This extension starts with equipping teams with decision support tools that allow them to do their jobs effectively and efficiently while maintaining quality outcomes regardless of the medium in which they interact with their patient.

2. Connection that bridges gaps: Supporting overwhelmed patients and providers through clinical solutions

Healthcare leaders have a growing opportunity to bridge the gap between overwhelmed patients and providers through clinically advanced telehealth solutions that extend the impact of care teams and support the full health journey.

According to the American Academy of Physician Associates, a full 65% of adults in the US report finding the healthcare industry “overwhelming” and “time-consuming”, with younger adults reporting even higher levels of overwhelm. Diverse patients of color are also more likely than White patients to report that they had unanswered questions after a provider visit. Their providers are dealing with rising levels of “moral injury”—the feeling that they are failing to provide an equitable level of care for their patients. Patients need trustworthy clinical information that’s in line with their unique needs, and providers need support to deliver this information.

Evidence-based clinical and drug solutions with aligned patient and member health information can help facilitate demographically sensitive conversations by connecting providers and patients through shared clinical information. Providing patients with clinical content they can review on their time in the manner that best suits them can support answering key health and care plan questions.

Additionally, content that considers social determinants of health and diverse populations can be a powerful asset in supporting wider demographics. Empathetic and personalized health education can empower patients and members to adhere to medication and chronic care plans, and partner with their care teams in their health journey.

3. Evolving programs: Empowering providers through accessible user-friendly technology and evidence-based information

Hybrid telehealth programs are often challenging because of the wide range of providers and settings they incorporate, creating complex issues around user experience and legal and regulatory compliance.

Specialties that are already dealing with high levels of burnout will benefit from technology that’s user-friendly and easily accessible, regardless of their level of tech literacy and comfort. This type of technology can also reduce burdens on clinicians, allowing them to focus on the patients who most need their support.

And since telehealth patients can be located anywhere, providers have less influence over their environment. This dynamic increases the value of solutions that provide evidence-based information to patients in the format, timeline, and medium that works best for them. It’s also important the information is aligned with the same quality content clinicians are referencing—including descriptive text, video, clear action prompts, and instructions for medication and plan adherence.

Telehealth advantages hinge on evidence-based clinical and drug content

Differentiation in your telehealth program requires a virtual care experience that’s designed for the whole person—one that’s ready to meet the needs of patients through integrating evidence-based clinical and drug content. Consider the intersection of telehealth and medication adherence, a market that’s projected to grow to $4,413 billion by 2030. Medication adherence is a growing issue as the burden of chronic conditions increases. The American Heart Association reports that poor medication adherence results in 125,000 deaths every year and costs the US health system as much as $300 billion annually in emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and additional medical appointments.

Telehealth powered by evidence-based drug content is an opportunity to differentiate a program while driving and demonstrating ROI. The content improves patient outcomes by connecting providers in virtual care settings with leading-edge research and studies, and takes into account both individual patient needs and population health goals. It also:

• Enables improved prescribing practices through evidence-based medication information.
• Supports patient safety for diverse and minority populations through tailored drug interaction content.
• Facilitates patient-provider conversations that sustain patient education and empowerment.

To prepare for the future of healthcare, hybrid telehealth programs should align health content design across clinical decision-making and patient education realms.

The future of telehealth maturity starts with clinical solutions

In the future, expect to see even more exits from the telehealth space. However, their absence will leave ample room for healthcare leaders who understand the potential of telehealth programs powered by clinical solutions. To reap the benefits of telehealth and maximize its potential, leaders should prioritize evidence-based medicine and drug data to support hybrid delivery and meet patients where they are.

Watch our recent webinar on leveraging evidence-based clinical and drug content.