Virtual health: A Look at the Next Frontier of Care Delivery

For the past 10 to 15 years, virtual health has been heralded as the next disrupter in the delivery of care, but there has been minimal uptick in adoption. The COVID-19 pandemic is pushing against structural barriers that had previously slowed health system investment in integrated virtual health applications.

More than a decade ago, virtual health was celebrated as a game changer in the healthcare industry. But while the technology made virtual health possible, providers, payers, and consumers have been slower to adopt than was anticipated. As discussed in “Telehealth: A quarter-trillion-dollar post-COVID-19 reality,”1 COVID-19 has pushed providers, patients, and payers2 over the tipping point into widespread adoption beyond traditional applications.