The pandemic has illustrated the potential of virtual care — but realizing it has proven challenging.
The pandemic heightened awareness of the promise of virtual care but realizing it is proving challenging. A framework developed by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School can help. It prioritizes the needs of both patients and caregivers.
Buy CopiesCovid-19 has sped the adoption of virtual care, or the provision of health services remotely in a synchronous or asynchronous fashion. No longer just a convenient enhancement to in-person clinical care, virtual care is needed by patients, clinicians, care teams, and health systems alike. But the gap between the promise and the reality of virtual care is substantial: The stakeholders often don’t get what they need while trying their best to navigate a new paradigm.
Anaeze C. Offodile II, MD, is executive director for clinical transformation and an assistant professor in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is also a non-resident scholar in health policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Leonard L. Berry is University Distinguished Professor of Marketing, Regents Professor, and the M.B. Zale Chair in Retailing and Marketing Leadership at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School. He is also a senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. His books include Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic, Discovering the Soul of Service, and On Great Service.
Manjit S. Yadav is a professor of marketing and head of the Department of Marketing and holds the JC Penney Chair in Marketing and Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School.
