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

Viewers lament Super Bowl video lags. Can streaming really handle big scale live events?

Livestreaming is not what these services were built for. And especially when millions of people are watching at once, that puts pressure on their technical infrastructure, says Eric Sorensen with Park...

Disney and FOX Don’t Think Their New Sports Bundle Will Wreck Cable TV. Are They in Denial?

Consulting firm Parks Associates found 40% of US traditional pay-TV subscribers still watch live sports via Legacy pay TV. “This could be a win for the sport streaming consumer searching for their...

46% of pay-TV subscribers show interest in smart more control features, survey finds

In recent findings by Parks Associates, a trend among pay-TV subscribers underscores a growing inclination towards integrating smart home and security functionalities within their TV services. The...

Interest Is Growing for a More Interactive TV-Watching Experience

New data from research firm Parks Associates found that 46% of cable TV subscribers find emerging home control and interactive features, provided through their TV service, appealing or very appealing....