American Medical Association Launched Virtual Care Framework

This week, the American Medical Association and the professional services company Manatt Health released a framework to explore the benefits of virtual treatment. The Return on Health program, according to the organizations, aims to appreciate the importance of digitally activated treatment beyond dollars and cents.

American Medical Association Board Member, Dr. Jack Resneck, Jr., said, “Understanding the value of virtual care is vital to inform decision making that facilitates the shift to digitally enabled care models that blend the best features of in-person care with those of virtual care.” Stakeholders and decision-makers have been looking at the potential of virtual care – especially telehealth – with a magnifying glass as they consider regulations for its future.

However, the American Medical Association and Manatt system emphasizes the importance of considering factors other than monetary returns on investment. The authors of the plan point out that various environmental factors can influence such value sources, including practice, payment structure, patient population, clinical use case, and virtual care modality. The effect of a digitally powered hybrid care model on both of these value sources should be evaluated.

Since they can drive financial results and help organizations understand the full potential of virtual care. The American Medical Association has provided a series of virtual treatment case studies demonstrating the system in motion. Measuring the importance of healthcare, particularly in the long run, has always been a more difficult task than simply counting dollars in and out. Many stakeholders have objected to maximum coverage parity for virtual treatment in the context of telehealth, citing concerns about overutilization and unnecessary spending.