In-person clinic visits are being replaced with virtual visits at a rapid pace

From the NEJM:

What if health care were designed so that in-person visits were the second, third, or even last option for meeting routine patient needs, rather than the first?

At Kaiser Permanente, 52% of 100 million patient encounters each year are now “virtual visits”. It spends 25% of its annual $3.8 billion budget on information technology.

"Payment models are an obvious barrier to deemphasizing in-person visits, but every provider’s business success depends on market share. The best way to win market share is to design and deliver better care, then modify the payment system to support it. Moreover, payment systems are already evolving to support nonvisit care. For example, use of bundled payment programs and accountable care organizations — which reward nontraditional care delivery models that reduce spending and meet patients’ needs — is growing."

Patients are increasingly asking, “Isn’t there a way to do this without my having to drive to your office?”

References:

In-Person Health Care as Option B — NEJM http://bit.ly/2ASHHTZ
NEJM Interview — In-Person Health Care as Option B http://bit.ly/2D8we8w
5% of patients account for 50% of healthcare costs http://bit.ly/2CVtvLR