Asynchronous Virtual Health: 3 Reasons It’s Critical for Now and Foundational for the Future

This is the time to advance to the next level of virtual health, not slide back. Health systems should embrace an omni-channel strategy that includes asynchronous virtual visit capabilities to meet consumer needs better, improve provider capacity, and enable more robust virtual care models.

Asynchronous care refers to a modality where there is no continuous real-time interaction between patient and provider or between providers. Most commonly, this is an offline store-and-forward approach where the patient completes questions or a form, which are then reviewed, assessed, and responded to by the provider when they are available. In recent years SMS, text, chat, AI, and other technologies have also been developed.

Asynchronous care delivery is surely not the only virtual visit solution, but it is a critical channel and significant opportunity. Any health system seeking to survive but thrive in this new environment must have this care delivery capability.