Designing Integrated Virtual Care Partnerships: Insights from a Practice-Based Case Series at Mayo Clinic

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Digital Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Access to quality primary and specialty care is a significant challenge in the US.
• Barriers include geography, provider shortages, and health inequities.
• Virtual care providers offer solutions to expand access and improve care continuity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the integration of virtual care providers within an academic medical center.
• To highlight collaborative and referral models for virtual health services.
• To identify core design principles for successful virtual care integration.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of practical experiences in integrating virtual care providers.
• Identification of key design principles for sustainable adoption.
• Examination of organizational, data, and reimbursement factors.

Main Results:

• Virtual care models can bridge gaps between outpatient and virtual health services.
• Core principles for successful integration include acute access, continuity, convenience, cost, reach, and transitions.
• Alignment with organizational culture, secure data sharing, and reimbursement are crucial.

Conclusions:

• Thoughtful integration of virtual care providers addresses disparities and improves patient outcomes.
• Virtual care expands the quality and reach of healthcare delivery.
• Academic medical centers can leverage virtual care to navigate the evolving healthcare landscape.