Virtual health emerging as the answer to global access and affordability crisis

Virtual health emerging as the answer to
global access and affordability crisis

July 4, 2023

Virtual solutions are rapidly emerging as the answer to the global healthcare accessibility crisis, as people find it increasingly difficult to secure timely services due to rising medical costs, unprecedented patient demand and workforce shortages.

Cigna Healthcare’s new report, titled “Virtual health: The answer to a challenging healthcare landscape”, reveals most respondents to the latest 360 Global Well-Being Survey (360 survey) are not confident about meeting their, or their family’s medical needs - more than six in 10 (63%) considered their ability to do so only “fair” or “poor”. At the same time, the survey of almost 9,000 people in eight markets found 40% of respondents have struggled to get an appointment with a doctor quickly when sick, with the figure as high as 62% in Spain and 50% in the UK.

It comes as many health systems grapple with unprecedented barriers to care, driven by rapidly rising medical costs and demand on health services. Shortages of healthcare workers, meanwhile, are exacerbating the issue in some markets and fueling huge waiting times for treatment.

Virtual health has rapidly emerged as the likely solution to some of these major challenges. The report demonstrates how virtual modes of care are helping to overcome accessibility barriers while reducing the cost of healthcare.

Virtual health improves accessibility and affordability
Virtual health, which encompasses a breadth of clinical practice including telehealth, virtual triage and hospital management, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and more, can help reduce waiting times and expedite treatment by improving operational efficiency across primary and tertiary settings, optimizing appointment schedules, and eliminating patients’ travel time.

Virtual health also enables people living in more remote areas or those with mobility challenges to easily access care from their home, at almost any time. The ability to quickly consult a healthcare practitioner and receive treatment can make a huge difference to health outcomes and in urgent cases even save lives.

The 2022 edition of the 360 survey found that not being able to get an appointment with a healthcare professional was the main reason for delayed investigation of health issues for one in five (21%) respondents who experienced such a delay. Interestingly, 22% of those respondents said they ended up turning to virtual health to seek the medical advice they needed.

“Gaps in access to care are affecting the well-being of people around the world. It is also one of the contributing factors to health disparities arising from differences in socioeconomic status, geographical location, and physical disabilities,” said Jason Sadler, President, International Health, Cigna Healthcare. “By delivering health services virtually to people when and where they need them, we are closing the gaps in healthcare access and giving everyone a fairer chance at staying healthy.”

In terms of cost management, timely care facilitated by virtual health can mitigate the need for expensive medical follow-ups. And in the case of managing chronic conditions, telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and data interoperability can work in unison to allow teams of healthcare professionals to better coordinate care, ultimately reducing hospital visits, improving outcomes and lowering the economic burden of care on already struggling systems.

Virtual health as a viable alternative to in-person care
Growing familiarity and acceptance of virtual health is making it an increasingly practical option to complement in-person care. Cigna Healthcare’s 360 survey conducted earlier this year found that an average of four in 10 respondents had communicated with doctors by telephone or virtually for general health consultations.

Many believe virtual consultations are as effective as in-person ones. Overall, more than four in 10 of our survey respondents expressed this satisfaction, including with regard to ease of arranging consultations (46%), general convenience (42%), being listened to and understood (46%), being given the right amount of time and attention (45%) and follow-up care (50%).

“When it comes to the question of virtual or in-person care, it’s not a case of choosing one or the other. Both play their part in the patient journey,” said Dr. Stella George, Chief Medical Officer, International Health, Cigna Healthcare. “We will never have a completely virtual health system – nor do we want one, as it just wouldn’t be effective. However, clinicians realize that virtual health offers an opportunity to improve access and provide care outside the four walls of their medical practice.”

As virtual health becomes a more normalized option for patients, healthcare service providers have a responsibility to help build trust with patients and optimize their care experience. With better understanding of the needs of patients and barriers to adoption, and more dedicated training for clinicians looking after patients through virtual channels, the quality of virtual health can be enhanced to better alleviate pressures on patients and the healthcare industry.