Virtual Care
The pandemic is unleashing an overnight revolution in how we access health care, with care delivery shifting from medical offices to virtual solutions.
Without careful attention, these changes in how we access care may leave people and communities behind who faced barriers accessing care even before the pandemic.
Why Improving Access Through Virtual Care is a Priority
With a focus on improving implementation of virtual care to increase access to care, we will achieve our goals that people can get the personalized care they need, when and how they need it and people experience a health care system that is understandable and easy to navigate.
A well-designed approach to virtual care has the potential to break down long-standing barriers to health care access. Yet without deliberate effort and careful attention to people-centered approaches and solutions, a rapid move to virtual care could worsen gaps, making care more convenient for those who already had access, while continuing to leave behind those who need it most. These not only lead to worsening health outcomes but also to increased cost across the health care system and for individuals.
Our Approach
At USofCare, we are bringing people, policymakers, providers and entrepreneurs together to build a virtual care system of the future, centered on people’s needs that closes gaps and removes barriers to access. We are providing policymakers with evidence to make informed decisions on how best to use virtual care to close gaps in people’s ability to access care.
Our objective is for virtual care to be used to remove barriers to access for those who faced additional challenges before the pandemic, while also making health care more convenient for those who did not face access challenges. Virtual care is seen not as an outcome, but one strategy to help people — especially those who have been historically marginalized — access the care they need.
Our current initiatives include:
- Listening to, and lifting up, the needs of people to ensure access is improved for all people through the use of virtual care.
- Identifying policy solutions based on the needs of people, including older adults.
- Ensuring that virtual care can provide effective, timely, and quality behavioral health care.
Virtual Care Updates
-
January 24, 2023News & Updates, Virtual Care
Introducing the “Leveraging Virtual Health Within a Value-Based Care Framework: Advancing Health Equity in the Medicaid Population” Report
A collaboration between USofCare and Deloitte Health on opportunities for advancing health equity through virtual care. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in virtual care, with a willingness to use telehealth services increasing from 52% in 2019 to 62% in 2021. Equity and accessibility remain a priority in virtual…
-
July 12, 2022Research, Resources, Virtual Care
Playbook – Two Years Into the COVID-19 Pandemic – Older Adults’ Experience of Virtual Care: Action Steps to Increase Access and Equity (Second Edition)
In March 2021, United States of Care and West Health published the first edition of the playbook looking at lessons learned from older adults’ experiences of virtual health care during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. This updated playbook examines the landscape two years into the pandemic and answers: …
-
July 1, 2022Virtual Care
June 29 Virtual Event: “Older Adults’ Experience of Virtual Care: Action Steps to Increase Access and Equity”
On Wednesday, June 29, USofCare and West Health presented “Older Adults’ Experience of Virtual Care: Action Steps to Increase Access and Equity” with expert hosts and panelists.
Explore Our Other Priorities
We prioritize improvements informed by our desired outcomes that will build the health care system people want.
Stay up to date!
Sign up to receive the latest news, resources and updates on building a better health care system.