Organizing Virtual Care, Digital Services Replacing Hospital In-Care and Outpatient Care

Abstract

Hospital-based digital care and virtual care are becoming increasingly common and their reach and scope are expanding in terms of patient groups and technological sophistication. The objective of this viewpoint is to provide guidance on design and factors that can be decisive for the organization of virtual care from a hospital’s perspective. Relevant aspects to be taken into account are as follows: characteristics of the technology, in a broader sense, the nature and intensity of provider involvement and supervision, the degree of self-management by the patient and his environment, the relation and cooperation mechanisms with other providers as home care, general practitioner ’s and other specialist care, the matter of (economies of) scale and finally the uniformity of processes over geographic regions and providers. We provide suggestions for further research and future policy related to these aspects.