Table 1.

Potential Advantages of Virtual Care

Improved access	1.Virtual care may be used to bring health care services to patients in distant locations. 2.Virtual care may improve patient access and extend the geographic reach and expertise of clinicians and health care facilities. 3.Given clinician shortages, virtual care may have an attractive value proposition. 4.It may provide people in both rural and urban areas access to safe, effective, and appropriate health care whenever and wherever they may need it.
Cost efficiencies	1.Reducing or containing the cost of health care is one of the most compelling motivators to acquire and adopt virtual care technologies. 2.Virtual care may reduce the cost of health care and increase efficiency with better management of chronic diseases, shared health professional staffing, reduced travel, fewer urgent and emergency care visits, and fewer and shorter hospital stays.
Improved quality	1.The quality of health care services delivered via virtual care may be as good as those delivered by traditional in-person visits. 2.In some specialties, virtual care may deliver a superior product, with greater outcomes and consumer satisfaction.
Patient expectations	1.The greatest impact of virtual care may be on the patient, their family, and their community. 2.Using virtual care technologies may reduce travel time and related cost and stresses for the patient. 3.Multiple studies have documented patient satisfaction and support for virtual care services. 4.Such services offer patients access to primary care and specialty care providers that might not be available otherwise, without the need to travel long distances.