Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

What should executives keep in mind as they consider the expanding acceptance of and preference for virtual care delivery among consumers and payers? There are three big considerations that are outlined in Virtual Care Demand Could Test Care Providers’ Health IT Infrastructure In 2015, a piece by Harry Wang, the lead analyst for Parks Associates’ digital health research program, that appeared recently in Computerworld.

  1. The video revolution has its challenges – While traditional patient portals are probably fine, according to Mr. Wang, interactive communications services using video could be a potential area for trouble. The issues to consider include video player configurations and related software challenges, system capabilities and reliability for increased video traffic, and security.
  2. Real-time health information exchange is the expectation – Virtual care increases timely access to professionals, and consumers expect their medical records to keep up. Increasing use of telehealth will highlight the problems of interoperability (see Net Neutrality Is About More Than Streaming Movies and Interoperable Electronic Data Exchange Is Non-Existent Among Long-Term Care Provider Organizations). Consumers expect timely access to past health records, lab tests, and diagnostic imaging.
  3. Dealing with all that remote monitoring data – The most advanced of virtual care systems leverage consumer self-monitoring capabilities, and integrated them into virtual care sessions. It sounds quite simple, but how such data will be fed into electronic health records (EHR) without delay and then compared with similar historical data is no simple matter. And, it is critically important to both the consumer experience and realizing cost savings from e-health.

From the article "The Uphill Climb To Virtual Care" by Monica E. Oss.

Previously In The News

Nearly Half of U.S. Households Own and Use Wearable Devices

A recent consumer study conducted by Parks Associates reveals that nearly 50% of U.S. internet households now own and actively use wearable devices, underscoring the growing demand for health and safe...

EV owners also use smart home tech

As electric vehicles continue to gain traction, a recent study from research and consulting firm Parks Associates found a growing trend among EV owners: A strong inclination toward adopting smart home...

Need to Know: Why do we need cross-media measurement?

According to research firm Parks Associates, the average U.S. household with internet access owns 17 connected devices. Even if we strike security cameras and wearables from the list, that’s a lot of...

How insurers are using smart-home technology

A growing number of insurers are following suit, partnering with smart-home technology companies to prevent and manage claims while also enhancing their value proposition, says Jennifer Kent, vice pre...