Michelle Davey, Co-Founder and CEO of Wheel, discusses making virtual care more accessible for patients and clinicians. Topics include virtual first care, clinician burnout due to clunky digital health technologies, addressing burnout and optimizing virtual care delivery, and Wheel's milestones and vision for virtual-first healthcare.
Virtual first care offers a more efficient way for patients to access care by starting their journey with a digital interaction and determining the best care setting in real time.
Wheel prioritizes the clinician experience and mitigates burnout by offering flexibility, work-life balance, and decreased burnout rates.
Deep dives
The Rise of Virtual First Care
Virtual first care is a model that starts patients' care journey with a digital interaction, allowing healthcare organizations to triage their needs and determine the best care setting in real time. This approach offers a more efficient and flexible way for patients to access care. Wheel is advancing virtual first care by providing companies with the infrastructure and clinician network to power this model. For example, Wheel enables immediate virtual consultations for patients with positive COVID-19 tests, allowing them to discuss options and receive prescribed medications at home.
Clinician Perspective on Virtual First Care
Clinicians are relatively optimistic about virtual first care, as it offers them flexibility and the opportunity to provide care in a way that suits their lifestyles. Wheel allows clinicians to decide when, where, and how they work, offering them a new way to practice medicine. For example, one clinician is able to continue treating patients virtually while driving across the country in an RV. Wheel aims to prioritize the clinician experience and mitigate burnout, with two out of three clinicians reporting that working with Wheel has directly decreased their burnout.
Addressing Clinician Burnout and Delivering High-Quality Care
Clinician burnout is a pressing issue, especially during the pandemic. Wheel focuses on supporting and fulfilling clinicians to ensure high-quality care. They enable clinicians to work in new ways, offering flexibility and work-life balance. Additionally, Wheel's study on pandemic working conditions highlighted the importance of empathy fatigue and its impact on clinicians. By taking care of clinicians, Wheel aims to improve care delivery and the overall healthcare system. Wheel's commitment to delivering safe and high-quality care is demonstrated through their board-certified clinician network and regulatory infrastructure.
Co-Founder and CEO of Wheel, Michelle Davey joins us to discuss how her company is at the forefront of making virtual care more accessible for patients and clinicians.