Virtual Care Isn’t Coming—It’s Here: Why Competency Strategy Must Catch Up

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8/4

91% of U.S. health systems have implemented telehealth. 71% are actively expanding it. But many still rely on outdated training and competency models that were built for a different era of care.

As hospitals scale virtual care, they’re facing a critical question: Are our teams truly ready to deliver high-quality care—remotely, digitally, and confidently?

If the answer isn’t a resounding yes, the gap isn’t just technological. It’s strategic. Because the way we define, track, and manage competencies needs to evolve just as fast as our care models.

The Numbers Tell a Clear Story

  • 91% of health systems now have telehealth in place
  • 71% are expanding their virtual care offerings in 2024
  • 12.6% of Medicare beneficiaries used telehealth in Q4 2023
  • By 2026, 25–30% of U.S. medical visits may be virtual

Sources:

Dossier Insight:
Virtual care is no longer a pilot—it’s a primary care channel. Yet too many hospitals still use manual, paper-based processes to manage staff competencies. That puts quality, safety, and compliance at risk.

Competency Is the Hidden Infrastructure of Virtual Care

Virtual care isn’t just a technology shift. It’s a workforce transformation.

To succeed, teams need competencies in:

  • Telepresence and remote communication
  • Privacy and cybersecurity awareness
  • Platform-specific navigation and documentation
  • Clinical decision-making in hybrid workflows
  • Peer-to-peer coaching and escalation in virtual teams

These skills aren’t optional. They’re essential. But they’re also dynamic, evolving alongside platforms, workflows, and regulations.

The Risk of Inaction

If hospitals don’t modernize how they define and validate these skills, they face:

  • Widening skills gaps across generations and departments
  • Increased audit exposure due to inconsistent documentation
  • Lost institutional knowledge as experienced staff retire
  • Higher turnover due to staff feeling unsupported or unprepared

And most important: Patient safety suffers.

The Strategic Advantage of Modern Competency Management

That’s where Dossier comes in. Our platform equips health systems to:

  • Rapidly define and deploy new competencies
  • Track skill validation in real-time
  • Support cross-generational mentoring (like in WellSpan’s virtual nursing model)
  • Integrate with EHRs, HRIS platforms, and third-party learning content

With Dossier, you don’t just stay compliant. You build a workforce that’s confident, connected, and future-ready.

Final Thought

Your EHR evolved. Your telehealth platform evolved. Your workforce did too.

Now it’s time for your competency strategy to catch up.

Want to Learn More?

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Download Dossier’s Guide to Digital Competency Management

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