Significant tailwinds will push patients to try virtual primary care and then the floodgates will open:

Travel and wait times are too long. Even prior to COVID-19, patients traveled an average of 34 minutes to receive in-person health care services and waited an average of 11 minutes on top of the travel time. An appointment with a primary care physician (PCP) could have a wait time of up to 122 days depending on location. Such scarcity is a significant barrier to care and a contributor to worse health outcomes.
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices. RPM devices enable doctors to conduct video calls with patients and run the same diagnostics they would in an office setting. Blood pressure checks, heart rate, respiratory rate, skin checks, temperature measurement and more are all possible remotely.
At-home testing. A number of common diagnostic tests are available via at-home kits where a patient collects a sample in the comfort of their home and mails the test to a lab for analysis. Infectious diseases, colon cancer and even the COVID-19 PCR test recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are on the at-home test menu.
Millennial preferences. The millennial generation is the largest living generation in the U.S. and will make up 75% of the workforce within six years. Health and wellness are key aspects of daily life for millennials and they are more likely to adopt new technology than previous generations.

2. Chronic condition management will become majority-virtual

In 2016, chronic condition management accounted for $1.1 trillion in health care costs and was driven by diabetes, hypertension and osteoarthritis. Common treatments for these conditions largely consist of medication management, medication adherence, active monitoring and physical therapy, which can all be delivered through virtual care.

Instant Insights /

5 virtual health care trends driving employers' health care strategies

More From HR Executive

Related Stories

Recommended For You