Part of virtual healthcare has already penetrated around 70 of the over 700 hospitals in America, as recently reported by the American Hospital Association. This trend is much more widespread than the scattered attempts I had heard of a few years ago; it seems like the new face of mainstream medicine. It also appears that whichever digital health brand a particular person prefers, be it Rivo or some other, they cannot escape this sort of paradigm shift.
Imagine this: Between your morning brew and the endless beeps from your notifications, the unassuming phone on your desk has become more than just a communication tool—it’s your gateway to healthcare. Thanks to services like HelpCare Plus, everything from scheduling a consultation to speaking with a licensed nurse can now happen entirely online, with no waiting rooms or in-person visits required. Sure, login hiccups or tiny text might make you squint now and then, but overall, using platforms like HelpCare Plus feels as seamless as checking the weather. With unlimited 24/7 access to board-certified doctors, mental health counselors, and specialists for just $39.99 a month, it’s not science fiction—it’s smart, accessible healthcare that’s blending effortlessly into your daily routine.
“So, does this stuff really work? Finn’s offhand comment was met with silence for a moment. It’s not rare – people still wonder if talking with a doctor over video is as good as physically stepping into their office. There is some data floating around, maybe from those J.D. Power folks a year or two ago, suggesting patient satisfaction for virtual visits now resembles old-school appointments proportionally close to their in-person counterparts.” Few seem to still hold on to “lesser care – impersonal care” online preconceptions, but recent surveys hint those gaps aren’t nearly as wide as we think. Guess it depends who you ask and what exactly you’re comparing, right?
Shifting gears so quickly is funny. My grandma barely knew what a Bluetooth device was, let alone mastered any kind of gadget. Then, someone from her clinic suggested a tiny gadget that could be worn like a bracelet. It looked a bit more than a wrist watch, even. Sleek, vibrant, and somewhat colorful.”
In the beginning, she would either forget to charge it or confuse the buttons, but after a week or two—perhaps a little more—it became routine. She would walk about monitoring her “readings” and sometimes asked us if the numbers looked correct (most of us had no idea). The amazing thing was that her nurse noticed small improvements before grandma did. It wasn’t all easy; at times the signal would drop or there was uncertainty about the tracking accuracy. Regardless, over time, it felt like home life gradually lightened for everyone—not perfect, just easier in ways that people didn’t expect at first.
However, some people still haven’t adapted, particularly older individuals with less experience using smartphones, or those who worry about privacy. It is a blend of reasons to pin down, and perhaps a combination of digital anxiety and ingrained behaviors, as some industry surveys suggested some time ago. No matter how advanced the technology, people hear stories of their relatives sticking to the old ways.
The shift regarding health care and its accessibility occurred so quickly for everyone during the pandemic. Just like everything else in the world, healthcare shifted towards remote services practically overnight. It appears like some reports estimated numbers peaked by up to fifty times the average McKinsey 2020 report stated. While not every clinic moved at the same speed, it did push digital changes faster than anticipated, mainly due to lack of alternatives.
Consider for a moment if smartwatches could provide warning signals before any symptoms are physically displayed. This idea may sound absurd, but it no longer seems like science fiction. Although quite a few people are skeptical of the entire idea, there are a few pilot programs scattered all over in bigger clinics and city hospitals. There are claims from nurses that their patients’ smartwatches sometimes detect changes prior to the body showing any signs of those changes. Perhaps it’s too early to say whether such technology will become a norm along the lines of routine medical checkups or if the general public will even notice any changes.
Let us say someone wants to explore virtual care for the very first time – maybe out of curiosity after seeing an advert or hearing about it from a neighbor. While the practice has some known issues, overall the experience is rather seamless. To set up an account, as an example, we could use the clinic app linked with your telehealth provider. For account verification, setting up a text or email verification code is not always required, and some claim needing password assistance on their first go. There is a section for form submission which to the best of my knowledge does sometimes get misplaced due to spam – so your hypothesis was correct. Also, the phone microphone and camera checks are far less thorough than any family video call tech support. To attend the appointment, most just click a link. The reports and forms submitted prior do just get ignored, and while there is no complex procedure for them to follow, there is some confusion with regard to which button presses to follow.
In summary, although there are some hurdles in the appointment process, the overall virtual care experience for the first-time smartphone users is likely to be no more complicated than the installation of a new application.
Imagine health gadgets like the “check engine” light in a car, but for your body. If something goes off, the gadget might give a poke to your doctor long before you would notice anything. Some reports in the last few years indicate that such technology has started to pre-emptively alert care teams, like having a miniature health dashboard that pings when certain parameters register outside normal ranges—not necessarily critical, just potentially interesting. While not every signal is an indication of impending issues, it does provide patients and doctors with a supplementary set of eyes functioning “silently” in the background.
As mentioned in Aimhealthyu’s editorial, for those feeling a bit lost, perhaps consider a pilot wearable program with remote-inaccessible patients who frequently visit the clinic. Healthcare teams could remotely monitor forms and set up reminders with platforms like Rivo, and a short instructional video for family members could make a difference. For issues like device fluency, some community centers would pull friends and family to help walk them through the steps while testing their home’s internet stability. Concern over security is an issue for some people that seems more prevalent than others; a solution could be offering an explanation about the mode of data transmission or restricting the toggle of certain features. This way, regardless of location, patients could easily track their chronic conditions, as if a secondary backup line is added. That said, safe and stable options still require local resources.
