As pandemic fatigue continues to spread across the country, however, an increasing number of people are beginning to seek in-person care again. Bob Schwyn, the director and co-lead for informatics and technology practice at The Chartis Group, shared at the CHIME20: Digital Recharge conference this week that virtual care visits are now down to roughly 15 percent nationwide from a peak of over 50 percent in April.
“Unfortunately, what’s happened over the last number of months, as the pandemic has maybe become more of a way of life, is organizations have really shifted,” said Schwyn. “We’ve seen a fairly significant plunge in what we thought was going to be a real catalyst in pushing us further into this digital arena.”
This raises the question: What long-term role will virtual care play in the care delivery ecosystem once the pandemic passes?
Experts at the virtual conference explored just how this care delivery method was saving resources and improving the patient experience before the pandemic — and how it might continue to help clinicians keep up with new patient inflow in the future.
