Telehealth Is Here to Stay: Understand the Types of Virtual Care Delivery
What if there is no “after COVID-19”? And if there is, what does this mean for telehealth?
Since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2021, there has been talk about various effects on health institutions and patients before and after the virus, including whether or not telehealth is here to stay.
Spoiler alert: It is. And not just because the latest variant – the highly contagious Delta – is raging across the U.S. and the world.
The virus battle, personal choice and insurance
Vaccination and herd immunity continue to be an uphill battle, given the effects of widespread misinformation surrounding both of these. And while many people have little taste for going into complete lockdown again, more and more patients are opting to try telehealth visits, and realizing how much these can save them time and hassle.
In addition, as Medicare, private insurers and state legislatures have worked to expand access and provide coverage for virtual care, it is quickly becoming part of the new healthcare landscape.
Two main categories of telehealth
Whether your health institution is looking to establish its first program or expand an existing one, it helps to first have a better understanding of the types of virtual care delivery options that are available. There are several types, but all forms of telehealth can be broken down into two main categories: Synchronous or asynchronous.
Synchronous (real-time) virtual care
This two-way, live video conferencing can be delivered in several ways, including:
Video call between patient and doctor
Video visit through electronic medical record software
Clinic-to-clinic consultations where support team members facilitate the visit between the patient and doctor
This type of visit helps to expand access for patients. They can also be used for a variety of appointments, including medical history consultations, some types of physical exams and follow-ups.
Asynchronous (store-and-forward) virtual care
This covers a variety of non-real time telehealth delivery, including:
Remote monitoring devices that collect patient health data and transmit to to the health care team for review
Mobile health apps on a patient’s smartphone that record medical data and which can help encourage lifestyle changes
E-consults between providers
Medical imaging results that are shared from patient-to-doctor or doctor-to-doctor
Patient privacy and telehealth marketing
While there are several options available, HIPAA regulations require that any delivery of patient records meet strict privacy criteria. For example, insecure consumer video conferencing technology such as Zoom, Apple’s FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Google Hangouts and Whatsapp do not meet this criteria.
In addition, privacy remains a concern among patients, especially as social media and politics have fanned the flames of various conspiracy theories. For this reason (and given the resistance of some providers to virtual care), an effective telehealth marketing program targeting both patients and providers is key to long-term success.
In future posts, we’ll be exploring specific tactics that you can use in your own virtual care marketing.
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Vaccine Creative is a hybrid agency that has worked with some of the biggest (and smallest) brands. We specialize in developing thoughtful, effective campaigns that don’t bust the budget. If you’re looking for more guidance on how to develop or expand your telehealth marketing program, contact us.
About Jim
Jim TerMarsch is Founder and Creative Director of Vaccine Creative. He has 24 years of advertising experience both as copywriter and creative director. He has won numerous industry awards including 20 Emmys for his TV series that’s been seen by over 30 million viewers. His experience spans brand campaigns for companies both huge and not-so-huge, immersive consumer installations for the 50th anniversary of the Mustang and others, branded television, customer-experience training and social media.