A Framework for Designing Excellent Virtual Health Care

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. Covid-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.