Virtual healthcare delivery: defined, modeled, and predictive barriers to implementation identified

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Digital Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Provider organizations currently lack a clear definition of "virtual" healthcare delivery.
• There is a deficiency in established models for integrating real and virtual healthcare services.
• Existing definitions are often conflated with e-commerce, telemedicine, and telecommunications offerings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define virtual healthcare delivery within the context of provider organizations.
• To propose a model for integrating real and virtual healthcare delivery.
• To identify and address barriers hindering the adoption of virtual healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Defining virtual healthcare delivery as asynchronous, outsourced, and anonymous.
• Proposing a 2x2 Real-Virtual Healthcare Delivery model.
• Analyzing barriers to virtual healthcare adoption.

Main Results:

• Virtual healthcare delivery is defined by its asynchronous, outsourced, and anonymous characteristics.
• A 2x2 model is presented, categorizing healthcare delivery based on real/virtual patients and provider organizations.
• Key barriers identified include resistance to outsourcing, confusion over virtual infrastructure, and impacts on established practices.

Conclusions:

• Provider organizations must integrate real and virtual healthcare delivery to remain competitive.
• The proposed model offers a framework for deconstructing and reconstructing healthcare services in virtual environments.
• Addressing identified barriers is crucial for successful virtual healthcare implementation.