GERIATRIC EM
Virtual Specialty Care: Providers and Payors Unite! SAEM PULSE | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2022
By Mary Mulcare, MD, on behalf of the SAEM Academy of Geriatric Emergency Medicine
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One year ago I wrote a segment for this publication on the transformation of the digital care landscape, which focused on older adults. The virtual provision of medical care supports faster access to high quality physicians, while alleviating the traditional barriers to care, including transportation, available caregiver support, sensory concerns (e.g., difficulty hearing in loud environments), and more. In both academia and industry, virtual care has contributed to significant innovation and improved the health care landscape and experience for patients and providers. I am happy to report that older adults have been benefactors of these advancements and are becoming a greater focus as recipients of virtual care.
“In both academia and industry, virtual care has contributed to significant innovation and improved the health care landscape and experience for patients and providers.” Patients and providers have accepted and adopted virtual care. For many providers, the opportunity to conduct virtual visits provides balance and new perspectives in patient interactions. For patients, they have come to expect a virtual option. Knowing this
patient expectation, employers are implementing telehealth into their health benefits packages as a necessary offering for employee satisfaction and retention. Payors are next to see the value of virtual health, especially virtual specialty