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Drive down the risk of readmissions with digital care programs and virtual visits

Published Date

A woman with brown, curly hair and glasses, smiling and looking at a laptop while having a virtual visit

When a patient leaves the hospital, the goal is to recover fully in the comfort of their home. However, outside factors can be detours that keep them off the road to good health and take patients back to where they started – in a hospital bed.

The toll of readmissions

Patient readmissions take an emotional, operational, and financial toll. In the U.S., the readmission rate is nearly 15%. With each additional visit, the emotional costs build for patients and their families in the form of stress, worry, uncertainty, and disruption to their daily lives.

For healthcare organizations, readmissions may signal an operations issue that more patient follow-up is needed. However, with an industry shortage of nearly 79,000 full-time nurses, care teams often struggle to balance the needs of current patients while staying connected to those recovering at home.

The result? Gaps in follow-up care and people turning to out-of-network urgent or retail care centers when there's a complication. Patients may also return to the emergency department, which can lead to overcrowding, longer wait times, a greater risk of patients leaving or postponing care, and a poor overall experience.

Operational speed bumps like these take a significant financial toll on patients, providers, and organizations. The average readmission cost is $15,200 per patient. This hits a patient’s wallet in the form of deductibles, co-payments, and out-of-pocket expenses. The toll also tightens the financial grip on healthcare organizations, adding to their growing costs and the nation's swelling healthcare expenditures.

Other roadblocks to recovery

Operational challenges aren’t the only reason for readmissions. So, what else is driving nearly 15% of patients back to the hospital? Proximity to care, social determinants of health, and lack of provider-to-provider communication.

Data shows that 85% of American counties are medical deserts, lacking essential healthcare services for their residents. Additionally, in 20% of U.S. counties, people must drive more than 30 minutes to reach the nearest hospital.

When access to care is hard to reach, it's easy for patients to abandon their care plans. This is especially true for older patients. A 2024 study found that only half of Medicare patients readmitted within a month of discharge had a follow-up visit with their provider.

Social determinants of health can also drive readmissions. It’s difficult to attend an in-person visit without reliable transportation. Missing work for a follow-up visit can mean even greater hardship for a patient with a lower income. And failing to follow their care plan can be a side effect of those living with a mental health condition. These and other social barriers can steer a patient back to the hospital.

Finally, the lack of integrated patient data from every digital, virtual or in-person care visit can sideline at-home recovery. A mere 12% to 34% of hospital providers communicate a patient's discharge summary with the clinician who will provide follow-up care. Failing to relay this information can also trigger preventable and expensive hospital readmissions.

Fortunately, there's a way healthcare organizations can put the brakes on the operational, care access, and social challenges that fuel readmissions. Amwell's digital care and virtual visits programs keep providers and patients connected beyond the hospital walls.

Ready to address the roadblocks in your organization? Reach out to our clinical consultants today!

Digital companions steer care interactions

Patients managing specific conditions may need continual guidance at home. Amwell's digital care programs support patients as they recover, cope with ongoing health needs, and make lifestyle adjustments.

  • Automated Care: Digital companions keep patients connected and engaged with care teams between in-person visits. Automated chats frequently check in for symptoms and self-reported vitals and encourage patients to follow their care plans. Virtual companions can spot complications, initiate intervention protocols, and activate care team involvement when necessary.
  • Digital Behavioral Health: Patients can use this solution for guided cognitive behavioral talk therapy to address various mental and physical health conditions. Coaches offer support and can escalate care if a patient shows signs of a serious mental health concern.

With digital interactions, organizations can scale their clinical capacity without hiring more staff – a crucial benefit for systems navigating workforce shortages.

Virtual visits fuel access to care

Virtual visits connect patients with their care team from home – a critical benefit for those living in a medical desert or rural areas.

  • On Demand Visits: Wait times are a thing of the past with on-demand virtual care services. This solution matches patients with providers based on their needs, health plan, and real-time eligibility.

  • Scheduled Visits: Providers and patients can initiate timely virtual care with this technology. Scheduled Visits simplifies primary care check-ins, specialist follow-ups, and ongoing treatment discussions with care coordinators.

The goal is for every patient to leave the hospital on the road to recovery and with the support needed to avoid the emotional, financial, and operational toll of readmission.

Providers that adopt a virtual-first strategy can support patients, keep them connected and engaged after discharge, and drive down the risk of a return visit to the emergency department or out-of-network urgent and retail care providers.

Learn how Amwell's digital care and virtual visits programs make it easy for patients to stick with their follow-up plans, access care, and stay engaged so they can continue to recover in their own bed – rather than a hospital bed.