| Abstrakt: |
The use of digital technology is a fundamental pillar of health ecosystem. Through virtual healthcare, members can obtain information about their health policies, evaluate their symptoms and obtain recommendations about care according to the risk level identified. The main objective is to coordinate the healthcare of members through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). In this paper, the results from a first year implementation of a virtual healthcare program from a private insurance company in Colombia are discussed. There were 3,045 pediatric virtual consultations in 2017 and 9,364 in 2018, equivalent to 10.1% of the total pediatric emergencies attentions. The number of cases that were resolved through the virtual channel was 78.3% and the satisfaction of the users was approximately 94.0%. Virtual healthcare has resulted in about $100,000 US Dollars in cost savings for the insurance company. The implementation of virtual healthcare has had an impact on health of people through immediacy in care, increased member's satisfaction through easy user experience, mobility, savings in out-of-pocket expenses, and optimizes the use of resources in providing health services by reducing investments in physical infrastructure and saving costs when compared to person-to-person healthcare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
