Over the last three years, we've gone from zero to full throttle when it came to our adoption of virtual and digital care.
It’s safe to say that we won’t ever return to the analog world of strictly in-person care and paper pamphlets, but our fast pivot to purely virtual revealed its shortcomings.
As the pendulum swings back again, it feels like 2022 was a year of gaining perspective and laying down future footing. We’ve embraced virtual and remote care options, but we understand the central role that our in-person clinicians play. It feels like we’ve reached a middle ground with an appreciation for old and new.
Curious about what other healthcare leaders would say about where hybrid healthcare is headed, we thought, “why not just ask?”. We gathered a group of 6 healthcare experts, from health tech investors to workers’ compensation leaders, to answer one shared prompt.
Here’s what our diverse group of experts had to say when asked to: “Describe the state of hybrid healthcare in 2022, and where it’s headed for 2023”.
The Investor
Who: Chrissy Farr, Investor at OMERS Ventures
"I suspect that in a post-Covid world, we’ll be a lot more thoughtful about the limitations of telemedicine. We’re realizing that not everything can be done virtually, and telemedicine isn’t a panacea. But at the same time, the market downturn may make it challenging for brick-and-mortar companies to raise, especially if they’re perceived as being capital intensive. We will likely see more creative approaches such as more mobile clinics and at-home visits as a result."
The Digital Tech Leader
Who: Matt Condon, CEO at Bardavon Health Innovations
Individuals now have an appropriate expectation to engage in health and healthcare services, from prevention through treatment, in every environment they navigate throughout their day. At-home and at-work digital solutions are essential, but only to the extent that the data and output from those offerings can be effectively integrated into the care provided by a specialist in person (when necessary). Only the solutions that can seamlessly integrate the entire ecosystem – offering ubiquitous access to digital care that coordinates with in-person providers – will truly optimize outcomes for patients.
The Health Exec
Who: Marcus Osborne, Healthcare Exec and Former Senior Vice President at Walmart Health
“Hybrid healthcare is the new normal. When evaluating healthcare partners to best serve the consumer (your employees, your members, your patients), digital health solutions are certainly key parts of the discussion. That said, we need these digital technologies to not just be siloed. They need to be integrated with care that is in clinics and care that is happening in the home. The solutions need to be omnichannel—leveraging the best of in-person, at-home, and digital into experiences that achieve better engagement and better outcomes for people. Without each care setting learning from one another and influencing how our providers treat patients, it’s not successfully hybrid—it’s just another digital health solution. In 2023, the end-to-end Omnichannel solutions that help providers deliver quality care while steering employees to better outcomes will reign supreme.”
The Safety Leader
Who: Scott Coleman, CEO at Preventure
“Workplace Health and Safety leaders are understanding the importance of injury prevention more than ever before. When it comes to hybrid care, there’s acceptance that we must marry digital technology with actual in-person care and even on-the-job training. We want to optimize our workers’ musculoskeletal health and stop injuries before they happen. When we combine workplace wearable tech that can flag injury risk and correct movement with at-home and in-person physical therapy programs, workers get injured less. Over the next year, we’ll continue to improve proactive hybrid care for workers—whether they’re on the job or off the clock.”
The Workers’ Comp Leader
Who: H. Demetrius Rumph, Director of Safety & Risk Management at City of Columbia
“From a risk management perspective, we're always looking for ways to keep our team members healthy on the job. Our employees are our most valuable resource, so when an injury does occur, it's our duty to deliver the best possible care for a full recovery. No two claims or persons are the same, so hybrid healthcare—care that happens in clinics but carries over to home and even the work setting—is extremely valuable. We want to know that our injured workers have access to the best in-person providers, but also can access additional treatment, at their convenience. Moving forward, hybrid solutions that focus on musculoskeletal injury prevention and optimize our workers' movement while promoting greater on-the-job safety, will be most coveted."
The Clinician
Who: Julie Osipow PT, DPT, Manager of Digital Care Innovation at Ivy Rehab Physical Therapy
“Hybrid care has gained traction in the rehabilitation space and offers great potential to enhance the patient experience while improving therapy outcomes. With more service lines adopting a hybrid model in 2022, physical and occupational therapy will continue to evolve by providing additional resources to the patients that ensure they reach their therapy goals. As the technology continues to evolve into 2023, Ivy Rehab will integrate digital resources to maximize the patient experience and clinical outcomes, while leading the transition of the occupational and physical therapy industry into a hybrid care model.”
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As healthcare professionals kicking off 2023, we share one thing in common: the desire to deliver the best possible care to our workforce. At Bardavon, we’re especially focused on protecting, supporting, and restoring the musculoskeletal health of the active workforce, aiming to prevent injuries before they happen. Through our large in-person clinician network and cutting-edge digital solutions, we’re optimistic that more seamless, complete MSK care is possible—at work, at home, and in the clinic.
Learn more about Bardavon’s new Injury Prevention Solution, available now.