Caution advised with corporate virtual care partnerships

Provincial governments that partner with for-profit virtual health care companies need to be cautious to protect public trust in the health care system, according to an analysis article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

At least four provinces in Canada have partnered with corporate virtual care organizations as part of efforts to deal with challenges in primary care access, offering medical care via video, phone and text messaging.

“There are risks associated with direct-to-consumer virtual ‘walk-in’ style care related to access, quality of care and data privacy,” writes Dr. Lauren Lapointe-Shaw, a clinician-scientist and associate professor, Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, and ICES Central, Toronto, Ontario, with co-authors.

“These risks require careful consideration, particularly as formal partnerships could further entrench corporate virtual care within Canadian health care systems.”

The authors describe the variation in provincial partnerships with corporate-provided virtual care programs, as well as their benefits, risks, and the responsibilities of governments when adopting such partnerships. Of paramount concern is the need to ensure health care quality standards are met, to protect data privacy, and enable transparency around contracts, funding and profits.

“There is a need for caution before greenlighting corporations in the public health care sector, as once these programs are introduced, it may be difficult to modify what has been established. By leaving companies to self-regulate, change is unlikely to occur,” they conclude.