How to Add Virtual Care Programs to Your Clinic

Healthcare consumers don’t want to choose between convenience and continuity anymore. They want both, and they’ll go where they can find it.

As patients' expectations shift, brick-and-mortar clinics have to rethink care delivery, but this doesn’t mean completely abandoning what’s already established. Instead, it means exploring how to extend what already happens, with virtual care programs. 

If you’re a clinic owner wanting to know“how to add virtual care to my clinic,” we’ll walk you through the high-level steps.

It’ll cover:

• What virtual care can look like inside a clinic

• Why clinics are well-suited to offer remote services 

• Popular virtual care program models

• Plus, step-by-step instructions on how to expand your services with virtual care delivery 

How Do Virtual Care Programs Fit Into a Clinic Setting? 

For primary care, urgent care, and behavioral health practices, virtual care programs shouldn’t be treated as a separate business, but as an extension of your capabilities.

As one 2024 article explained, telemedicine helps bridge the gap between patients and providers, offering a variety of opportunities designed to improve patient outcomes and expand care access. 

The application of virtual care programs in clinics might look like: 

• Video or phone visits for follow-ups, medication checks, and low-acuity concerns

• Remote patient monitoring (RPM) for chronic conditions like hypertension or diabetes 

• Secure messaging and async check-ins between visits 

• Virtual triage or intake before an in-person appointment 

• Care coordination and coaching that extends beyond the exam room 

Current State of the Virtual Care Market 

The COVID-19 pandemic showed patients and providers what’s possible with telehealth, and since then, demand has never fully gone away. In fact, the telehealth visit rate rose from 1.8% in 2020 to 4.5% in 2021, and increased to 4.8% in 2023. 

According to the AMA, over 70% of physicians reported using telehealth in their practices weekly in 2024, which is up from 25.1% in 2018. Add in a 2022 national survey showing patient comfort with using telemedicine has grown since 2017 and bipartisan legislation aimed at making key flexibilities permanent, and it’s clear that virtual care isn’t a pandemic-era trend. 

Let’s dive into what the market is showing:

Market Research

What Makes Clinics A Good Fit for Virtual Care? 

Brick-and-mortar clinics are well-suited for virtual care for the following reasons: 

• Broadens care offerings: Virtual care delivery allows practices to add specialties, like sleep medicine or longevity services, without hiring more in-person providers or requiring additional physical space. 

• Expands service area: Remote care lets practices reach patients outside their immediate area, especially those experiencing transportation barriers, physical limitations, or who prefer more privacy. 

• Existing patient base: Clinics aren’t starting from zero. You're supporting your existing patient base with more care options and access.

• Established trust/comfort: You’re an established practice with patients who already trust you with their health. This can help make a new care experience more approachable.   

• Extends office hours: Remote visits can be scheduled outside typical clinic hours, giving patients access to care in the evenings or on weekends. 

• Promotes continuity of care: Makes it easier to keep up with follow-ups, check-ins, and care plan adjustments between appointments, all tied to the same records. 

Overall, virtual care doesn’t compete with your clinic. Instead, expand your capabilities.

Most Popular Virtual Care Programs for Clinics

1. Chronic Care Management

Why: Nearly 60% of Americans have a chronic disease, and the prevalence is increasing. Research shows that telemedicine has been effective in managing chronic disease, bettering patient outcomes, decreasing healthcare costs, and improving patient-provider satisfaction. 

Common elements: Remote monitoring devices, scheduled virtual check-ins, and escalation paths for out-of-range readings. 

2. Behavioral and Mental Health Support 

Why: In 2024, over 60 million U.S. adults lived with a mental illness. Studies show that telehealth supports patient satisfaction, engagement, and access to mental health care. 

Common elements: Virtual therapy or psychiatry visits, intake screening tools, and coordination with primary care. 

3. Sleep Medicine 

Why: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a very common, underdiagnosed condition that can increase the risk of metabolic disorders, cardiovascular conditions, depression, and even motor vehicle accidents. Telemedicine, particularly through at-home sleep tests, decreases wait times, improves comfort for patients, and increases convenience.  

Common elements: HSAT coordination, virtual screening and intake, and CPAP/treatment adherence check-ins.  

4. Weight Management and Nutrition 

Why: Obesity affects over 40% of U.S. adults, with the rate projected to climb to 86% by 2030, and telemedicine is viewed as an effective intervention for supporting weight loss. 

Common elements: Virtual consults for prescribing (medical weight loss), recurring dosing and side effect check-ins, and coordination with a dietitian or health coach. 

5. Specialty Consults and Diagnostic Review

Why: About 20% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, but only 10% of physicians practice there, leaving many patients without easy access to specialists. Telemedicine helps bridge geographic gaps in access to care and may enhance diagnostic timeliness. 

Common elements: Scheduled virtual specialist consultations, remote diagnostic reviews (imaging, labs, pathology), and a clear handoff back to the primary clinic. 

What Clinics Should Ask Before Adding a Virtual Care Program? 

When asking yourself, how to add virtual care to my clinic, it also helps to weigh a few questions specific to your patient base. 

• Does this reduce gaps in care for your highest-risk patients? 

• Does it fit naturally into your current visit types, or does it require new workflows? 

• Do your patients already have digital access and the comfort level needed to use it? 

• Does it align with what your patients are already asking about? 

Virtual care programs work best when it’s treated as an expansion of the care you already have, and not a bolt-on service competing for attention. 

Should You Build or Buy Your Virtual Care Model?

Once you clarify what type of virtual care program fits your patients, the next decision is how to staff and run it. Clinics generally choose from two models. 

Built In-House

Pros

• Full control over staffing, scheduling, and patient experience 

• Direct integration with your existing team and culture 

Cons

• Requires hiring, licensing, and ongoing management

• Slower to launch and harder to scale across states 

Best for: Clinics with the administrative bandwidth to manage a new service line from the ground up. 

White-label telehealth provider

Pros

• Faster launch with pre-existing clinical infrastructure

• Built to scale with your clinic’s demand

• Fewer operational complexities and overhead for your clinic

• Runs under your clinic’s own brand

Cons

• Less backend control

• Ongoing fees. Providers typically come with platform or service based costs. costs tied to usage or revenue

Explore more on the pros and cons of a white-label provider

Virtual Care Compliance Considerations 

Adding remote care introduces new regulatory and operational questions.

• Licensure across states: Care is generally considered to occur where the patient is located, so multi-state care requires appropriate clinician licensure and location verification for each visit. 

Note: OpenLoop's nationwide network of clinicians can help support and scale virtual care programs for your clinic.

• HIPAA and vendor agreements: Any video, messaging, or remote monitoring tool should be HIPAA-compliant and covered by a Business Associate Agreement (BAA)

• Reimbursement rules: Telehealth and RPM billing codes and payer coverage vary by state and plan, so confirm requirements before scaling a program. 

• Marketing and advertising claims: The FTC requires any claims made about your virtual care program, outcomes, savings, or comparisons to in-person care to be truthful and substantiated.

Step-by-Step: How to Add Virtual Care to Your Clinic

This is a high-level step by step of what you should consider when deciding to build your own virtual care program in-house. This is not a comprehensive list and you should always seek legal advice from a licensed attorney.

Step 1: Identify Your Opportunity

Start by evaluating your current practice, patient population, and goals.

Consider:

• Which care programs are your patients already asking about?

• What health goals are common among your patients?

• Are you looking to expand existing services, create new revenue opportunities, both?

• Will your program support current patients, new patients, or both?

The strongest virtual care programs typically align with a practice’s existing expertise and patient needs.

Step 2: Choose the Right Services

There are many potential virtual care offerings, but the right programs depend on your patients and practice model.

Popular options include:

• Weight management programs

• Hormone programs

• Longevity services

• Sleep support

• Nutrition programs

• Supplement programs

Starting with focused offerings allows your team to build effective workflows and create a strong patient experience before expanding.

Step 3: Build Your Clinical and Operational Infrastructure

This is where most practices underestimate the lift. A virtual program needs:

• Licensed providers and clinical oversight

• Intake and documentation workflows

• Prescribing pathways

• Lab coordination

• Pharmacy fulfillment

• State-by-state licensing requirements

You can build each of these in-house, or partner with an experienced virtual care infrastructure provider to manage this layer so your team can stay focused on patients instead of operations. See how to choose a white-label telehealth provider for a closer look at what to evaluate.

Step 4: Select the Right Technology

Your platform should support:

• Scheduling and intake

• Secure messaging

• Care coordination

• Documentation and reporting

• Video visits

One connected system beats five disconnected tools your staff has to stitch together manually.

Step 5: Design the Patient Experience

Map the full patient journey:

• How patients discover the program

• How they enroll

• How they communicate with providers

• How follow-up care is delivered

• How you keep them engaged over months, not just one visit

Step 8: Launch and Monitor Early Results 

Once the program is live, keep an eye on a few basic indicators: 

• Enrollment rate among eligible patients 

• No-show and follow-up completion rates for virtual visits 

• Early patient feedback on the experience

Launch a Virtual Care Program in Days with Launchpad

Starting a virtual wellness business takes more than a telehealth platform. It takes the clinical infrastructure, provider network, technology, and clinical-compliance framework to deliver care safely at scale.

OpenLoop®’s  Launchpad platform gives healthcare businesses a white-label way to add virtual wellness under their own brand:

• Turnkey, no-code platform system

• Build a brand new site or connect your own

• Access to a nationwide clinician network, supporting on 100+ care programs

• Administrative support for licensing, credentialing, and billing frameworks built in

• Connected technology for scheduling, documentation, and communication

• Lab and pharmacy coordination, where lawful

• Ongoing patient support to keep engagement high after launch

Interested in adding virtual wellness to your practice? Contact us today.

*This content is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. For guidance on your specific situation, please consult a licensed attorney.