Virtual Care Projections

What do current utilization trends indicate about a new, post-Covid 'normal' in care delivery?

The current public health emergency, driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, has elevated virtual care appointments to new heights of utilization, not just in raw numbers but also as a percentage of overall visits. While the current ratio from April 2020 will not continue (45% of all visits conducted remotely), we predict that 15-25% of all US visits will be conducted virtually by 2025, equating to about 130M-220M visits annually. Despite some of the elements driving virtual care adoption expiring at the end of the declared PHE, consumer demand will continue to drive the shift to more virtual care models. 

Key Takeaways 

  • We can now start to see how healthcare behaviors are changing due to COVID-19, and project what they will look like going forward. 
  • Ad hoc patient usage of direct-to-consumer telehealth apps is significantly lower than appointments conducted through a doctor’s office, or by app subscribers. 
  • The increased adoption of virtual care covers the range of use cases, including video appointments and remote monitoring/chronic care technology. 
  • Individual patients covered by an institutional subscription to a virtual care service are taking advantage of these tools in substantially larger numbers. These contracts are now likely to be renewed, and an expected market crash is now unlikely.