Category Archives: On Demand Care

CVS Health to launch a virtual-first primary care platform

Posted on by • Posted in Chronic Condition Management, Competition, Consumer Care Consumption Patterns, Consumer Engagement, Consumer Needs, Consumer Preferences, Consumer-Centered Care Pathway, Consumer-Centric, Coordinated Care, Digital Access, Digital Channels, Digital Health, Disruption, Disruptive Technology, Integrated Delivery System, Medication Management, Mental Health, On Demand Care, Primary Care, Primary Care Delivery Model, Primary Care Strategy, Virtual Care Strategy, Virtual Healthcare, Virtual Visit, Virtual-First Care Platform • Leave a comment

https://mailchi.mp/31b9e4f5100d/the-weekly-gist-june-03-2022?e=d1e747d2d8

The digital platform is designed to provide consumers with a coordinated healthcare experience across care settings. It’s being sold to Aetna’s fully insured and self-insured plan sponsors, as well as CVS Caremark clients, and is due to go live next year. According to CVS Health, the new offering “enables consumers to choose care when and where they want,” whether that’s virtually, in a retail setting (including at a MinuteClinic or HealthHUB), or through at-home services.

Patients will have access to primary care, on-demand care, medication management, chronic condition management, and mental health services, as well as help in identifying other in-network care providers. 

The Gist: CVS Health has been working to integrate its retail clinics, care delivery assets, and health insurance business. This new virtual-first care platform is aimed at coordinating care and experience across the portfolio, and streamlining how individuals access the range of services available to them.

CVS is not alone in focusing here: UnitedHealth Group, Cigna, and others have announced virtual-first health plans with a similar value proposition. Any payer or provider who aims to own the consumer relationship must field a similar digital care platform that streamlines and coordinates service offerings, lest they find themselves in a market where many patients turn first to CVS and other disruptors for their care needs. 

Meeting growing consumer demand for “care anywhere”

Posted on by • Posted in Asynchronous Care, Care Anywhere, Consumer Loyalty, Consumer Preferences, Consumer Trust, Consumerism, Emergency Care, Health System, Hospital, Hospital Industry, Maintenance Care, Office Visit, On Demand Care, Primary Care, Telemedicine, Urgent Care, Virtual Healthcare, Virtual Visit • Leave a comment

https://mailchi.mp/7d224399ddcb/the-weekly-gist-july-3-2020?e=d1e747d2d8

 

While COVID-19 provided a big push for doctors and health systems to rapidly expand telemedicine visits and other kinds of remote patient interactions, many report that they are now seeing telemedicine visits decline sharply, as in-person visits return.

While it’s natural to be glad that “things are returning to normal”, backing off virtual care is short-sighted, as recent experiences have set new expectations for patients. Survey data shows consumers like using telehealth services, both because they’re more convenient (65 percent) and help avoid COVID infection (63 percent)—and 51 percent say they would continue using them after the pandemic ends.

We’re increasingly convinced that virtual physician visits are just one part of a continuum of care that can be delivered in the convenience and safety of the patient’s home. The graphic below highlights the range of consumer-focused virtual care solutions, from asynchronous chat interactions all the way to hospital care delivered at home.

Health systems that can deliver “care anywhere”—an integrated platform of virtual services consumers can access from home (or wherever they are) for both urgent needs and overall health management, coordinated with in-person resources—have an unprecedented opportunity to build loyalty at a time when consumers are seeking a trusted source of safe, available care solutions.