Shifting Consumer Expectations in the New Age of Virtual Healthcare

Over the past two decades, the healthcare industry has been evolving into the digital space, but when the pandemic hit in early 2020, telehealth catapulted into overdrive. COVID-19 dramatically changed how the world views healthcare. Now, telemedicine is the driving force behind innovation in the delivery of care to millions of people worldwide. While many of these changes mean positive advancements for consumers overall, there are drawbacks in the form of growing cybersecurity threats. What can businesses do to protect their customers’ sensitive health data in this new age of virtual healthcare? And what practices and policies will enable healthcare businesses to thrive in this new digital landscape?

A recent MIT Technology Review study found that 89 percent of healthcare leaders are accelerating their digital transformation as a result of the 2020 pandemic. And yet, as these health organizations embrace the efficiencies these technologies provide, they could be leading us down a digitally dangerous road. A tidal wave of ransomware attacks has hit U.S. healthcare companies, increasing by 50 percent during the third quarter of 2020.

Luckily, healthcare leaders are not taking these attacks lightly as 58 percent of responders to the MIT study stated that they are allocating more than 25 percent of their IT budgets to security and threat management. Responders said that their number one priority is securing protected health information (PHI) against attacks. To keep up with increasing demand, providers must continue advancing health systems in the redefined digital era to increase capacity and take advantage of the opportunities these technologies offer. This means embracing telehealth while securing healthcare data and systems that are vulnerable to cyber attacks.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has Accelerated Virtual Healthcare Adoption Across the Board

In the beginning, telemedicine was praised as a way to provide remote and rural communities with greater access to receive quality medical care. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that the benefits of telemedicine don’t stop there. Doctors and care providers have utilized virtual tools to deliver outpatient care, limiting exposure to the virus. Remote digital cooperation helped clinicians develop a protocol to keep COVID-19 patients off ventilators as long as possible, reducing mortality rates to 5% below the national average. Innovative tele-ICU programs facilitate access to critical care experts, no matter their location.

As we consider the post-COVID era, 76 percent of consumers are now interested in utilizing telehealth applications indefinitely, up from just 11 percent in 2019, according to a McKinsey & Co. telehealth report. And with 74 percent of telehealth users reporting high satisfaction, and providers who rapidly scaled up their virtual healthcare services have reported 50-175 times the number of telehealth visits compared to pre-COVID times, it’s clear this form of medical care is not going away anytime soon.

What Does Modern Telemedicine Look Like?

Visit with Your Doctor from Anywhere in the World

Expanding healthcare access to underserved communities was just the beginning. Today, you can virtually visit your doctor from anywhere you have an internet connection. Urgent care, consultations, and even medication administration can be done remotely. This means care workers and healthcare businesses need to be more active in educating customers about security tools like virtual private networks (VPNs).

Extending the Capacity of Personnel

Remote care doesn’t just mean that you can video conference with your doctor from home. Connected devices mean doctors and care providers can monitor progress from afar, increasing their capacity to assist with chronic and long-term illnesses. Devices like two-way, biometrically enhanced televideo can help keep individuals vulnerable to infection out of inpatient facilities while saving hospitals money. Remote patient monitoring allows specialists to weigh-in on more cases, and hospital-at-home technologies help ease the burden on overfilled care centers. Both makers and users of these connected health devices will need to stay vigilant when it comes to protecting patient privacy.

Data-Driven Insights for Better Care

Digitalization also means collecting health data to combat not just the pandemic but also to provide valuable insights into best practices of care for individuals. Healthcare teams across the globe can potentially access an individual’s records to make better holistic decisions about their care. Insights like this could save lives, but because collecting and digitizing healthcare data also means that cybercrime attacks on healthcare systems are on the rise, the pressure is on healthcare companies to make these advancements safe and secure.

Security Concerns in the New Age of Virtual Healthcare

As virtual healthcare continues to expand, consumers have more options for medical services than ever before. Customers are ready to embrace these new technologies and will flock to providers who can deliver the best digital experience while keeping their health data secure from cyber threats. If your customers don't have confidence that you’re taking proactive steps to protect their information in the new digital landscape, they will seek services elsewhere.