Four opportunities to build resiliency within telehealth programs
Approaching the next phase of telehealth could look like a hybrid model of care, especially when partnering more closely with providers, payers, and patients. To do this well, it’s crucial to have the right data, the latest health content, and a whole-person approach to care.
1. A patient-centric approach to telehealth
Opportunities for resilient programs can reside in taking a patient-centric approach to address their personalized concerns. A 2022 online survey indicated nearly half of patients didn’t get all their questions answered by their provider and 80% had follow-up questions. With the right approach, telehealth companies could partner with providers to fill this gap with health information and help patients better understand their own health journey. This can especially help reach rural patients and those with mobility challenges who may have barriers to accessing regular care.
2. Partnering with patients using remote monitoring technology
As remote monitoring technology and ambulatory care become more prominent, patients will have more opportunities for leading their own care beyond the clinic. Healthcare practitioners themselves have noted benefits to remote monitoring technology for patients such as improved self-care, increased confidence, and greater patient education opportunities. Telehealth leaders can support these benefits by providing health and wellness content curated to the specific health monitoring needs of patients, helping educate them on their conditions, supporting their understanding of medications or dietary plans, and preparing them for upcoming appointments.
3. Supporting care management through regular, relevant content
A key to partnering with patients is the regular cadence of healthcare content and engagement programs over time. Digital health companies can provide a steady stream of relevant, engaging health information to support care plans. The Mayo Clinic launched a new Mayo Clinic Diet portal to support people taking GPL-1 weight loss drugs, providing them with meal and diet support, education materials to help manage side effects, and tracking tools for long-term success. Supporting telehealth patients with chronic condition management and mental health information and services can also be an opportunity to build long-term partnerships.
Content can be curated and personalized for the patient’s specific health needs and delivered in an accessible medium like a patient portal or via text messages. Ultimately, telehealth leaders must feel confident that the patient content is evidence-based and grounded in the latest research and care recommendations, especially as a way to combat medical misinformation.
4. Harnessing data and analytics as a telehealth foundation
None of these content programs are possible without a clear data and analytics foundation to ensure accuracy and efficacy. Patients must feel like the content is curated for them in order to trust and engage with it. This is especially important as generative AI is integrated further into virtual care, such as chatbots, documentation, remote patient monitoring, and more.
Data can also help identify factors beyond a single diagnosis or condition, such as social determinants or additional medication information. Getting a whole-person understanding of their health situation may require active participation from the patient to provide those insights. Through those data insights, companies can automate the right content for personalized experiences—especially as their healthcare needs change—leading to a stronger patient relationship over time and lasting program resiliency.
