Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: Transforming Access and Virtual Care at Virtua Health
Release Date: July 6, 2025
Introduction
In the July 6, 2025 episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, host Laura Duda engages in an insightful conversation with Malik Bahar, Assistant Vice President of the Access Center and Loyalty at Virtua Health, and Eric (Erica) McCarney, Director of Virtual Care Transformation Integration and Strategic Operations at Virtua Health. The discussion delves into the transformative strategies Virtua Health is implementing to enhance access to care and expand virtual healthcare services beyond traditional hospital settings.
Guest Introductions
Malik Bahar brings over a decade of experience to his role, emphasizing a people-centric approach to healthcare. With backgrounds in hospitality and wellness, Malik focuses on connecting with individuals to improve healthcare outcomes and experiences. As he nears his 11th anniversary with Virtua Health, Malik highlights the organization's commitment to leveraging virtual experiences to achieve stellar results.
Erica McCarney oversees Virtua’s virtual care strategy, integrating advanced technologies like optical cameras and ambient sensors. Before her current role, Erica spent nearly ten years leading provider relations within the Accountable Care Organization, working closely with clinicians to adopt a population health-based approach. Her current mission revolves around revolutionizing care delivery by seamlessly integrating smart technologies to enhance patient and clinician experiences while driving operational efficiencies.
Opportunities and Challenges in Healthcare
Erica McCarney underscores the critical juncture healthcare currently faces. She points out the dual pressures of a healthcare professional shortage and a growing patient population due to aging and chronic diseases. Erica emphasizes the necessity of prioritizing face-to-face interactions and clear communication to deliver meaningful patient experiences. She states:
"We are identifying weight to prioritize facetime with them and provide that clear communication and dedicated attention to each individual patient... [virtua] allows our teams to reimagine elements of care without sacrificing traditional delivery of services."
[04:50]
Moreover, Erica highlights the importance of cultivating a work culture that attracts and retains top talent through initiatives like alternative and hybrid work arrangements, adapting to the evolving needs of both the community and the workforce.
Malik Bahar expands on the system-wide approach to opportunities and headwinds in healthcare. He discusses the substantial role of Virtua’s contact center, a team of 200 full-time employees (92% remote), managing 2.6 million interactions. Malik emphasizes the significance of maintaining a high retention rate (92% since 2018) by fostering work-life harmony. He draws parallels between patient service expectations and experiences in other industries, stressing the need to provide seamless, interoperable, and user-friendly healthcare interactions:
"Patients are no longer comparing us to necessarily our regional or national competitors... they are ultimately comparing their experience with virtual health to their last greatest experience in general."
[07:00]
Leveraging Technology for Enhanced Patient Experience
Erica McCarney details the tangible benefits of integrating virtual and smart care technologies at Virtua. These include reduced clinician burnout, increased patient throughput, expedited consults, and enhanced safety through proactive risk detection. A notable advantage she highlights is the ability to involve family members in patient care virtually, removing geographical and logistical barriers:
"Patients now have the comfort of that familiar face during potentially some of their most vulnerable moments. And I think that's a testament to the virtual care impact."
[10:30]
Malik Bahar emphasizes the role of agentic AI in simplifying workflows and enhancing patient interactions. He envisions AI as a tool that complements human efforts, ensuring that patient communications are safe, consistent, and efficient. Malik articulates the strategic importance of AI in meeting the rising expectations of younger generations who are accustomed to instant solutions:
"AI plays a huge role in making that happen... it's about simplifying the roadmap to access, simplifying the access to care and by simplifying the communications that happen throughout the process."
[14:20]
Growth and Adding Value
Malik Bahar discusses his vision for growth, focusing on the integration of various technologies to provide a comprehensive view of each patient. By aligning agentic AI with storytelling, Virtua aims to offer personalized care that meets patient expectations. He underscores the importance of brand recognition both regionally and nationally:
"We want Virtual Health to be that preferred premier choice in our region and then ultimately to grow from a brand recognition perspective nationally as a place that cares for people."
[16:10]
Erica McCarney builds on this by highlighting the continuous evolution of smart care facilities. She predicts ongoing growth through the adoption of real-time solutions and prioritizing technologies that offer the most significant benefits. Erica compares the development of smart care systems to constructing a building, emphasizing the need for a solid foundation to mitigate risks:
"It's an evolution and not something that can necessarily be turned on overnight... without that solid foundation, that's where the potential for risk really creeps in."
[17:30]
Risks and Strategic Investments
Erica McCarney identifies storytelling as a crucial investment, particularly in the context of change management. She believes that compelling narratives are essential for conveying ideas and fostering connections within the organization:
"Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today... Stories will stick. Stories speak to people. It's what connects us all as humans."
[12:00]
Malik Bahar concurs, adding that storytelling provides the necessary context and motivation for colleagues amid organizational changes. Additionally, he advocates for investing in agentic AI to enhance patient experiences by simplifying interactions and reducing the burden on healthcare providers:
"AI is something that plays a huge role in making that happen... AI as a tool to simplify and make sure that you are connecting with that information in a safe and consistent manner."
[13:50]
Future Opportunities for Growth
Looking ahead, Malik Bahar envisions Virtua Health leveraging its technological infrastructure to offer a seamless and comprehensive patient experience. He outlines the integration of various CRM systems and AI tools to maintain a unified patient view, thereby positioning Virtua as a premier healthcare choice:
"We want our organization, we want Virtual Health to be that preferred premier choice in our region... leveraging the technology is really key."
[16:15]
Erica McCarney anticipates continued growth through the implementation of smart care facilities, which provide real-time solutions to the dynamic challenges in healthcare. She emphasizes the importance of prioritizing the right technologies that align with organizational needs and building these systems on a solid foundation to ensure sustainability and minimize risks:
"New technologies with promises of added efficiencies and cost benefits will continue to come to the market and systems will really need to prioritize the opportunities that are most befitting for their organization."
[17:10]
Conclusion
The episode of Becker’s Healthcare Podcast featuring Malik Bahar and Erica McCarney offers a comprehensive look into Virtua Health's strategic initiatives to transform access to care and expand virtual healthcare services. Through the integration of advanced technologies, a strong focus on patient and employee experiences, and strategic investments in AI and storytelling, Virtua Health is poised to lead the way in modernizing healthcare delivery. The insights shared by Malik and Erica underscore the importance of adaptability, innovation, and human-centric approaches in navigating the evolving healthcare landscape.
This summary captures the essential discussions and insights from the podcast episode, providing a clear and engaging overview for those who haven't listened to the full conversation.