What Does Virtual First Mean In Healthcare?

In recent years, the term “virtual first” has been gaining traction in the healthcare space. Health insurance companies have been adopting such approaches and there’s even the IMPACT consortium from the Digital Medicine Society that was formed to support virtual first initiatives.  However, the novelty of the concept and similarities with terms such as “telehealth” or “virtual visits” indicate the need for a proper introduction. This is what we aim to do with this article that gets us acquainted with the concept, compares it with other similar approaches and considers some of its challenges. What is virtual first healthcare? Originating from the tech industry, “virtual first” refers to experiencing a service primarily virtually or remotely rather than through a traditional centralised physical location. This approach gained popularity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, with companies like Dropbox adopting such an ethos and this trickled into healthcare delivery as well.  In healthcare, a virtual first approach involves accessing medical care first through virtual means, which can then be supplemented by follow-up in-person visits as necessary (for example, to perform radiological scans). This relies on the functionality and interoperability of digital tools such as video conferencing software and personal health sensors for remote data capture. Virtual first care characteristics. Source: https://impact.dimesociety.org/ How does it diffe...
Source: The Medical Futurist - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: TMF virtual-first healthcare virtual first hybrid care Source Type: blogs