You’re dealing with cold or flu symptoms. Or you suspect you might have a UTI. There was a time you would have had to muster your energy, make an appointment (that might take you an additional day or two to get into the doctor), make yourself somewhat presentable, drive across town to your doctor’s office, sit in the waiting room with other people running fevers, and finally get in to the exam room.

Enter telehealth, a way to have a virtual appointment, often within minutes of calling, all from the comfort of your home.

Virtual doctor visits are now the norm for many of us. It’s time-saving, cost-efficient, and far more pleasant that sitting for an hour in a crowded waiting room. Over half of Americans say they prefer virtual visits to their care provider over an in-person visit. Two-thirds of Americans use telehealth for their medical needs, and a whopping 77% say that telehealth is the future of medicine. 1 

💙💛 If you’re an Altrua HealthShare Member, you likely know that you have access to telehealth 24/7. It’s easily accessed through your HealthWallet App, and that also includes mental wellness visits. (If you’re not currently a Member of Altrua HealthShare and would like to learn more about the our flexible, affordable alternative to traditional health insurance, you can talk with a Member Services Representative at 1-888-244-3839 or visit altruahealthshare.org for more information.)

With the wide acceptance of telehealth over the last few years, there is now a new kid on the block; virtual hospitals. While that might seem an unlikely combination of terms, it’s fast becoming a mainstay within many healthcare systems.

đŸ©ș What Is Virtual Hospital Care? 

A virtual hospital is able to give hospital-level care to you without you needing to stay in a physical hospital building. Virtual hospital care leverages all the tech advances we’ve made and puts them to work so that you can rest and recover within the privacy and comfort of your own home. Virtual hospital care is also known as hospital-at-home or virtual ward, and it works as a combination of telehealth visits, wearable medical devices, coordination of care teams, and in-home nursing services. While the virtual hospital experience might not be the right option for every situation or patient, it is a growing sector of healthcare in the right circumstances.

đŸ©č Is It Safe?

Understandable, one of your top questions about the virtual hospital option is its safety. How well does it measure up to traditional in-hospital care? As it turns out, studies show that patients in virtual hospital settings had no increase in mortality and no increase in readmission rates as compared with traditional hospital care. Additionally, their hospital stays for surgery and illness were significantly reduced. This means that virtual hospital care, as shown in studies, is statistically as safe as in-hospital care. 

There are also in-hospital risks that potentially are avoided with virtual hospital care. In-hospital patients have a 3-5% risk of developing what are known as nosocomial infections, also known as medical care associated infections. 2  Because hospitals have a wide population of people in their facilities with a variety of illnesses and conditions, there are patients, particularly those whose immune systems are compromised, who are at greater risk for ‘catching’ something from another patient. This risk is potentially lower for someone who opts for virtual hospital care following surgery or recovery from an illness.especially for conditions that don’t require intensive, hands-on procedures. Virtual hospital done correctly should include remote monitoring, daily telehealth visits with video, and good communication among all the care team. 

If you have further concerns about your privacy as a patient, technology once again comes through for you. A variety of tech privacy platforms are used for virtual hospital care, making this type of care HIPAA-compliant and dependable. 

That said, there are conditions and situations which are likely not good candidates for the virtual hospital experience. Your healthcare provider can help determine if the virtual hospital is the right fit for you.

đŸ€” Why Consider Virtual Hospital Care?

If level of care and safety are all the same for your medical situation, virtual hospital care has a number of positives going for it. First off is your preferred mode of recovery. You may be someone who feels far more comfortable in your own home. Secondly, virtual hospital care typically is far less expensive than in-hospital care. This means that you might discover that it makes more financial sense for you to recover at home, with some studies indicating that costs are reduced by almost 60%.

There is also a growing awareness that virtual hospital care can help relieve the burden on an over-taxed healthcare system. Monitoring systems and devices can be overseen from providers who don’t have to be onsite, again with the same level of safety and privacy you would expect from an in-person stay. 

This is also good news if you live in an area in which traditional hospital care isn’t as accessible or requires significant travel time.

As the virtual hospital model evolves, there are still questions around how costs and reimbursements will be handled for the patient. If you’re a Member of Altrua HealthShare, you can reach out to the Member Services team for an Advance Opinion of Eligibility. This will allow you to understand your level of membership and what sharing in eligible medical costs might look like in your situation. (You can also learn more about the next steps in utilizing your membership here.)

Medical technologies that can be monitored from home, telehealth visits, and other advances in healthcare are on a current heading to make care more easily accessible, convenient, comfortable, and safe. If you haven’t yet heard of virtual hospital care, you likely soon will. Here at Altrua HealthShare, we’re committed to helping you understand the latest trends and advances for your healthcare. Even as healthcare changes and grows, we remain focused on our guiding principle of caring for one another. 

If you or your loved one is going through a hospital stay, either in person or virtually, we’d be honored to pray for you and your family. You can submit a prayer request here to our Director of Ministries, Heather Nanni. 

1  https://www.harmonyhit.com/telehealth-statistics-infographic/
2 https://www.cdc.gov/healthcare-associated-infections/php/data/index.html