By Yhordan Serpentini | October 26, 2022
The medical industry has rapidly evolved over the last one hundred years, spanning the development of cures and vaccines, to revolutionary technological advancements that have led doctors to reach patients beyond their offices.
The digital advancements of the medical industry have allowed practitioners and physicians all over the world to interact with patients from the comfort of their own homes–of course, we are referring to virtual care. If you are unfamiliar with the term, then here is what you need to know about virtual care.
What is Virtual Care?
Virtual care–not to be confused with telehealth or telemedicine, which are different terms–is a broad phrase that refers to all the possible ways in which practitioners, physicians, and other healthcare providers interact and communicate with their patients, remotely.
The term can be practiced for a variety of different reasons, typically for aftercare follow-up appointments, especially after surgery. Additionally, virtual care can be used for live chat messaging or auditory communication to answer any questions the patient may be concerned with about their treatment, medical condition, diagnosis, etc; virtual visits for wellness checkups, or digital self-care tools such as therapy.
Types of Virtual Care
As mentioned before, the term virtual care broadly reflects all the ways a healthcare provider interacts with their patient; however, there are four distinct types of virtual care that categorize specific healthcare practices within virtual care.
The four types are:
- Hospital-at-Home (HaH): as the name might suggest, the term HaH refers to the remote medical practice of receiving hospital-level care at a patient’s place of residence. Unlike other kinds of virtual care, HaH is a remote clinical service that is operational 24/7.
- Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM): RPM refers to the use of digital technology to track, monitor, capture, and manage patient health and medical data. The recorded data is then electronically transferred to the patient’s respective healthcare providers.
- Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM): RTM is similar to RPM, however, the difference is simply that it records, tracks, manages and captures patient data for therapeutic management and care. This type of virtual care is mainly used to guide therapists with patient status, medical adherence, and ways to optimize their sessions for better patient care.
- Chronic Care Management (CCM): as the name suggests, CCM refers to the virtual care and management of patients diagnosed with chronic conditions. CCM is similar to RPM, however, it is a consistent service primarily composed of coordinated care, check-ins, and medical coaching.
Why Virtual Care is Growing
Virtual care comes with a multitude of benefits that were previously thought to be difficult or impossible 20 years ago. The convenience virtual care provides is the biggest factor in its ever-growing trend within the medical industry.
Rather than having to physically show up to a practitioner’s office, which can be very time-consuming and draining for both patient and physician–especially if the patient’s place of residence is some distance away–the issue can simply be solved by having a remote appointment.
If you have any questions regarding your health or healthcare, a simple virtual appointment can conveniently help you skip showing up physically or calling and being placed on hold for what could be up to one or more hours.
Furthermore, technology has made it easier than ever to practice virtual care, with patients and practitioners typically requiring only a phone; however, other means work as well, such as a computer or laptop, videoconferencing, the internet, virtual care digital platforms (apps, software, websites, etc.), and streaming media.
Virtual Care Laboratory Partnership Opportunities
Virtual care helps bring convenience to not only practitioner offices, patients, and physicians, but also to labs, hospitals, and other public health industries. At Rapid Bio Lab, we are looking for laboratory partnerships for virtual medical practices. Join us today and become our partner!
Disclaimer: This blog is not intended to be medical advice
References:
Telemedicine vs. virtual care: Defining the difference. InTouch Health. (2020, February 4). Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://intouchhealth.com/finding-the-right-term-for-modern-digital-healthcare/
Types of virtual care: Understanding hah, RTM, RPM, CCM. CareSimple. (2022, March 18). Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://caresimple.com/types-of-virtual-care-hah-rtm-rpm-and-ccm/#:~:text=With%20that%20in%20mind%2C%20let’s,chronic%20care%20management%20(CCM).
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