Primary care is in desperate need of a redesign in America, where rural hospital closures and the provider shortage are driving a dangerous lack of access to a much-needed service for nearly one-third of the population. Advanced technologies, like virtual care modalities, have helped healthcare provider organizations significantly expand primary care access. However, the overarching preference for in-person care persists, which means providers must integrate virtual and in-person services to create a hybrid model of care that meets patient needs.

Hackensack Meridian Health has turned to an artificial intelligence-based solution to establish this hybrid care model. Through a recent partnership with K Health, the Edison, N.J.-based health system aims to create a patient care journey that seamlessly moves between virtual and in-person services as needed.

According to Daniel Varga, MD, chief physician executive at Hackensack Meridian Health, the partnership resulted from the in-person care challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit New Jersey hard.

"What we found is right before the pandemic, we were doing zero virtual visits in our offices," Varga said in an interview. "By the time we were in the full-blown stages of the pandemic in early 2020, we were doing several thousand a day. And what we realized is there is a real market for it, but we didn't have the inherent skillset to execute against that."

Now, with K Health, Varga believes the health system has access to the skills and technology necessary to integrate AI-supported virtual care services to enhance primary care across its network of 18 hospitals. However, technology integration challenges must be addressed to create a successful hybrid care model.