As healthcare organizations underwent a significant shift towards virtual care delivery during the pandemic, the need for seamless integration into the digital health ecosystem came to the fore.

Even if some telehealth stats have come back down to earth, policy and legislation such as the Telehealth Extension and Evaluation Act have made virtual care's expansion imminent – prompting a critical examination of its processes and technologies.

At HIMSS24 next week, a full-day forum on virtual care explores the technological convergence facilitating virtual care adoption, its transformative impact on care delivery, and best practices for overcoming current and future challenges.

Attendees at the preconference Virtual Care Forum – led by MobiHealthNews executive editor Jessica Hagen – will gain strategic insights into navigating regulatory and reimbursement hurdles, implementing successful remote patient monitoring, strengthening patient-provider relationships, addressing healthcare disparities, and launching digital literacy campaigns.

Discussions also encompass innovative approaches to virtual care integration, regulatory compliance and data security measures.

The forum kicks off with a panel moderated by Jennifer Goldsack, CEO at Digital Medicine Society, focused on the challenges of scaling virtual care within healthcare institutions, addressing financial barriers and strategies for sustainable pricing models.

Panelists will explore the buy versus build dilemma, including the integration of in-house clinicians and external providers, as well as the evolving primary care landscape and infrastructure optimization for virtual care expansion.

The discussion also examines the evolving landscape of primary care and its implications for healthcare's future, emphasizing the optimization of infrastructure and workflows for successful virtual care scaling.

Midway through the forum, Chad Ellimoottil, associate professor, medical director of virtual care at University of Michigan Medical Group and Matthew Pruente, senior director for the healthcare industry group at Alvarez & Marsal, will discuss the importance of evaluating return on investment for virtual care technologies.

Focus of the discussion will be building a comprehensive framework for clarifying ROI, including intricacies of measuring both direct and indirect benefits against incurred costs, covering a range of virtual care tools such as video consultations, RPM, and patient engagement platforms.

Through real-world case studies, attendees will gain insights into factors influencing ROI across various healthcare settings, equipping them to make informed investment decisions.

The discussion will also delve into the impact of virtual care on healthcare costs, evolving reimbursement laws and strategies for generating new revenue streams.

Other topics include telemedicine ROI timelines and patient education strategies for facilitating seamless adoption.

The forum closes with a three-person panel moderated by Matt Cybulsky, founder and consultant at Ionian Healthcare Consulting exploring the topic of healthcare delivery enhancement through building building trust in virtual agents and chatbots.

Powered by AI-driven technology these virtual care assistants are reshaping patient care and augmenting healthcare professionals' capabilities.

Addressing concerns from clinicians, the panelists will debate the issues surrounding AI's capabilities compared to physicians and how care providers can build trust in virtual agents and chatbots as they evolve into essential components of modern healthcare.

The discussion will analyze the impact of virtual communications on healthcare connectivity, examine challenges for clinicians and patients, and explore strategies for fostering trust through real-world examples, equipping attendees with the knowledge to deliver high-quality healthcare effectively.

HIMSS24 is scheduled to take place March 11-15 in Orlando. Learn more and register.

Nathan Eddy is a healthcare and technology freelancer based in Berlin.
Email the writer: nathaneddy@gmail.com
Twitter: @dropdeaded209