Published on
A new Lancet Digital Health viewpoint article argues that virtual urgent care should not be limited to a single service model because different approaches influence access, equity, cost, and operations. The authors describe 4 common health system models—telemedicine conversion, on-demand visits, scheduled virtual visits, and asynchronous store-and-forward care—and emphasize that each type addresses different patient needs. The authors note that 94% of urgent care centers offered telehealth by 2022, up from 29% in 2019—largely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among patient populations, telemedicine use was reported by 39.2% of non-Hispanic White adults compared with approximately 33% of Black, Asian, and Hispanic adults. The authors also cite evidence that audio-only visits accounted for one-quarter of Medicare telehealth encounters in 2022 and that telemedicine may reduce emergency department spending by as much as $1,546 per diverted visit, based on a small sample of patient cost and payment models.
Your model matters: Some urgent care operators see telehealth as a way to leverage excess capacity or solve staffing issues across the enterprise. And the key takeaway here is that the virtual model’s success depends on matching it to the patient population rather than simply scaling up telehealth availability with just a single model. Offering multiple visit types, extending hours, supporting audio-only visits, and addressing technology barriers can make a difference, the authors say.
Read More