Virtual Care Is The New Norm
It may not have been a mainstream term in 2019, but the turn of the year has seen the popularization of Virtual Care. Aided by the pandemic, virtual care is quickly becoming the new normal and it is here to stay. So, what is virtual care?
Virtual care encompasses any interaction between a patient and their healthcare provider done remotely. If this seems rather broad, that’s because it is supposed to be. Though methods such as telehealth have been around for a long time, technology hasn’t allowed for the full integration of virtual care – until now.
Now that virtual care is here, it is here to stay.
A survey conducted by The Canadian Medical Association suggests that of all patients who have engaged in virtual care during the pandemic, 91% of them are happy with the care they have received. This is a staggering 17 points higher than in-person emergency room visits.
In fact, virtual care has proved so popular since the turn of the year that 46% of patients now prefer virtual care to in-person care.
Dr. Sandy Buchanan stated that “Physical distancing measures designed to keep Canadians safe during our fight against COVID-19 have led to the adoption of virtual care out of necessity”, adding that “We need to build on this momentum. Canadians should be able to access health care in a timely and convenient fashion.”
All-in-all, the future for virtual care seems rather bright – with half of those involved in this survey believing that not only will virtual care positively impact the cost of healthcare, but also that it would improve access to specialists and the timeliness of test results.
Virtual care is only as good as the technology around to implement it – which is why it has taken a long time for it to become noticed by the mainstream. However, in the modern day, technology advances exponentially and that is great news for all those involved in virtual care.
As virtual care gains momentum, the insurance surrounding it is evolving as well. In fact, virtual care is becoming and increasingly important part of group employee benefit plans. If a company hasn’t revised their employee benefits in the past 12 months, now is the time to re-evaluate with an emphasis on virtual care.
According to experts, the next steps are for the government to get involved and facilitate a pan-Canadian framework so that provinces an territories can help improve and expand virtual care. While this may seem like it’s some time away, it will undoubtedly become the norm quicker than we all expect.
One day in the near future, going to see a doctor in-person may seem as old-school as sending a fax. We live in an increasingly virtual world and there is no reason to suggest that healthcare won’t go down the same path.
If you want to learn more about virtual care and to see if you can get aboard this train before it leaves the station, call one of our experts today at 905-696-9090 or email us at