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

Streaming Pirates Are Hollywood’s New Villains

Consulting firm Parks Associates predicts that legitimate US streaming services’ cumulative loss from piracy since 2022 will reach $113 billion in the next two years. “While there is some optimism tha...

Binge and bail: How 'serial churners' save money on Netflix, Hulu and Disney

Cutting household expenses is now the No. 1 reason consumers are canceling streaming subscriptions, said Eric Sorensen, senior analyst and director of streaming products at Parks Associates. It used t...

When it comes to live sports, consumers show streaming services the money

“Sports content drives eyeballs, advertisers know it, streaming services know it,” said Eric Sorensen, senior analyst with Parks Associates. From the article, "When it comes to live sports, consume...

Ford and Lincoln Unveil New Digital Experience for Enhanced Connectivity

A recent study by Parks Associates in 2022 highlighted that the average U.S. household now owns 16 connected devices, reflecting an intertwined relationship between digital and daily life. From the...