With meaningful use incentives on the table and increasingly frustrated health exchange patients, healthcare providers both private and public are being urged to adopt more advanced health IT solutions. Like MUSC recently did with their telehealth adoption, more and more providers are looking for streamlined virtual health solutions that patients want, but more often than not don’t have.
New research released today by Xerox indicates that while only 16 percent of Americans actually receive virtual care, 61 percent are open to the idea. Xerox hopes to increase that number with today’s launch of Virtual Health Solutions, now allowing healthcare providers to meet patients’ demand for convenient, remote access to care.
The new solution helps providers integrate a comprehensive telehealth strategy within their mainstream care delivery system. For example, Xerox will ensure coordinated access to EHRs and provide reliable technology infrastructure to support the delivery of virtual care. Patients will benefit by having improved access to healthcare services such as prescription refills, dermatology screenings, health and wellness coaching, post-surgical follow-ups and psychiatric care and counseling, among others.
According to the research, 77 percent are excited about the possibility of receiving healthcare virtually. Convenience was cited as the top benefit (59 percent), followed by potential cost savings (40 percent) and the ability to see or communicate with healthcare professionals for minor ailments and the option to easily refill prescriptions – both 35 percent.
To help healthcare providers take advantage of patients’ interest in virtual care, Xerox will create a customized combination of consulting, services and technology based on a provider’s specific telehealth goals.
– Virtual Health Consulting Services: Xerox will work with clients to develop virtual health strategies to help them reduce cost and utilization, deliver better outcomes, increase access to care and improve patient experience. The process includes a customized strategy session with each healthcare organization to understand their virtual health goals, an analysis of their current initiatives and offerings and an evaluation of their local market’s needs.
– Interface Design and Development Services: The solution helps overcome interoperability challenges associated with telehealth by connecting multiple healthcare systems – even those that have never been connected before – and allows healthcare providers to easily verify a patient’s identity and medical history. The solution can also automatically determine a patient’s insurance eligibility and seamlessly move information in and out of EHRs for documentation and billing needs.
– Virtual Clinic Services: Front and back office services are powered by Xerox and allow providers to connect with patients in a virtual setting. A Xerox customer care agent will coordinate insurance verification, appointment pre-authorization and scheduling, payment processing and claims preparation, submission, tracking and reconciliation, providing the same type of familiar experience patients receive at an in-person doctor visit.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Xerox from May 5-9, 2016 among 2,033 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
