In the article, Dr. Gallagher articulates how virtual care is increasingly central to addressing system-wide challenges: increasing patient acuity,resource constraints, and a critical shortage of specialty clinicians. Far from a temporary fix, virtual care enables hospitals to standardize complex care delivery across diverse settings, extend the reach of specialty care, and achieve measurable improvements in both access and efficiency.
He outlines key considerations for health systems seeking to transition from episodic virtual consults to fully integrated virtual programs, including:
- Leveraging transfer and utilization data to build financially sustainable service lines
- Using telehealth to reduce ED boarding times and improve dispositioning, particularly in behavioral health.
- Aligning operational and financial stakeholders around unified metrics.
- Driving down cost and variability through consistent virtual specialty coverage, including infectious disease, neurology, and critical care.
