If virtual care is to achieve meaningful health outcomes in a primary care setting,
it must be practiced within a bonafide hybrid approach.
In its first iteration, virtual care was presented as a new-age solution to close
access gaps and create efficiencies in the delivery of urgent episodic care.
Today, accelerated by the needs imposed by COVID-19, virtual care is being
applied in more comprehensive and sustainable healthcare settings. When
delivered through an integrated, coordinated, member-focused care team, virtual
primary care offers new and promising opportunities to empower trusted
patient-provider relationships and better manage health outcomes.
In order for virtual care to achieve meaningful health outcomes in a primary care
setting, it must be practiced within a hybrid approach, inclusive of a designated,
consistent care team that is fully integrated across modalities. Continuity of care
is essential for the provider to deliver whole patient care and establish trusted
relationships with patients.
When virtual care is practiced within an integrated primary care model, providers
are empowered to look at the whole patient. Doing so results in better population
health management and overall efficiencies in care delivery.
As medical students and physicians learn how important it is to evaluate the
whole patient. Virtual care models that are achieving high quality primary care
outcomes have been designed in such a way that physicians have enough time
with patients to ask the right question and to refer alongside an interdisciplinary
care team. They may also include a combination of asynchronous messaging
and synchronous video care, to allow for quick access and multiple touch points
with less attrition.
Based on the utilization of integrated virtual primary care models, their impact on
the patient journey, and ability to close care gaps, I’d advocate that the time is
now for the industry to rethink the scope of virtual care in the primary care setting
and recognize its transformative potential in improving healthcare outcomes..
Crossover Health’s Virtual Primary Health creates a designated care team of
integrated providers who take care of a defined group of eligible members for
consistency and continuity of care. We aim to establish long-term relationships
with our members and partner with them closely along their healthcare journey..
We are committed to providing members with access to exceptional healthcare
regardless of where they live, work or travel. So, in addition to their dedicated
virtual care team, members can also receive in-person care at any of our nearsite
locations across the country when they are traveling to an area with a Crossover
Health Center nearby.
Crossover Health’s team-based approach to care creates opportunities to screen
and close care gaps that siloed, on-demand care visits might otherwise miss. .
By using every team touchpoint – no matter the clinical discipline – as an
opportunity to screen and identify gaps, Crossover is able to improve outcomes
and longitudinal care.
With a 95% overall patient satisfaction score, our integrated model is proven to
help members address 70 % of conditions virtually, often eliminating the
inconvenience or cost of unnecessary in-person appointments or referrals.
Whereas many virtual care solutions treat only simple conditions, Crossover is
available for preventive, acute and chronic care needs and can help members
initiate and navigate treatment for all medical care. Additionally, if a member
needs access to in-person care or laboratory testing, the Crossover care team
schedules the time and place that is in-network, convenient and works best for
your employees. They help coordinate referrals, schedule appointments and
ensure that information from in-person care the member receives is integrated
into their care plan at Crossover.
Our Virtual Care offering also includes exclusive access to our new online
wellness community called Be Well. This self-care resource includes access to
articles, podcasts and online education sessions from our health and wellness
experts, as well as free virtual fitness classes taught by our on-staff certified
fitness experts.
About the Author:
Danna Chung, MD, is the Virtual Medical Director at Crossover Health. She is
board certified in internal medicine, allergy/immunology, and integrative/holistic
medicine. She joined Crossover in 2019 with prior experience working for a
number of telemedicine companies and at the US Department of Health and
Human Services.
Danna Chung, MD
About Crossover Health
With two state-of-the art Care Centers in Seattle and Bellevue, Crossover is
bringing a new approach to employee healthcare, and an ongoing
commitment to whole-person health. Crossover Health is a leader in delivering
value-based hybrid care. The company’s national medical group delivers – at
scale – Primary Health, a proven care model driven by an interdisciplinary
team inclusive of primary care, physical medicine, mental health, health
coaching and care navigation. With a focus on wellbeing and prevention that
extends beyond traditional sick care, Crossover builds trusted relationships
with its members and flexibly surrounds them with care— in-person, online,
and anytime— based on the member preference. Combining a sophisticated
approach to data analytics that incorporates social determinants of health,
Crossover delivers concrete results and measurable value for employers,
payers, and most importantly, members. Together we are building health as it
should be and engaging a community of members to live their best health. To
learn more, visit crossoverhealth.com or follow us on social media
