Patient pathways through teleconsultation
Everywhere we walked at HBI 2019 somebody was talking about digital health. It was the main theme of our Policy Summit, which brought together operators and policymakers, and filled discussions from radiology to primary care to rehab. This week’s infographic looks at the different patient pathways through remote consultations in operation across Europe.
Many types of providers are starting to offer teleconsultations: some are existing healthcare providers and some only provide telehealth. There are also some companies that only provide a symptom-checker as a software solution, either to payors or to signpost patients to the most appropriate level of care.
The model largely depends on the reimbursement model and payor structure in each market.
The first is used largely where doctors and medical professionals are able to claim reimbursement for the consultation at the same level as a physical, like France, or a doctor in a for-profit institution that has digital services, like Capio.
The second is probably the least efficient as it doesn’t triage the patient and the high accessibility levels encourage increased utilisation. A number of insurers offer this model as a means to acquire more customers through the promotion of a ‘luxury service’. The third is a model followed by Ada and a number of smaller symptom checkers across Europe.
The fourth is the most common patient pathway: it is used by Babylon, KRY/Livi and the majority of start-ups across Europe. It triages the patient and keeps them in the pathway of the telehealth company.
There is no evidence yet which of these has the highest utilisation rates or can attract the highest returns. HBI will be watching the scene to see which, if any, of the models becomes the most dominant.
We would welcome your thoughts on this story. Email your views to Rachel Lewis or call 0207 183 3779.
