Hamza Asumah, MD, MBA, MPH
While traditional healthcare struggles under the weight of capacity constraints, rising costs, and staff shortages, a quiet revolution is happening in living rooms and home offices across the world.
Over 116 million people now receive medical care virtually—more than doubling from just 57 million in 2019. Patients are embracing the convenience, speed, and accessibility of virtual visits, and providers are beginning to recognize the potential.
But here’s the entrepreneur’s secret: the real opportunity isn’t in providing virtual consultations—it’s in building the infrastructure that makes them possible.
The Infrastructure Gap Creating Million-Dollar Opportunities
Right now, the numbers tell the story:
- 41% of patients report receiving virtual care in the past year.
- Yet, only 27.4% of specialists use telemedicine for even half of their patient visits.
This mismatch reveals a massive infrastructure gap—patients are ready, but providers don’t have the tools, systems, or regulatory frameworks in place to meet that demand.
For entrepreneurs, that gap is a disguised opportunity. Founders who understand the technical, operational, and compliance layers of healthcare delivery can build the “plumbing” that makes virtual care scalable.
This isn’t about building the next Zoom-for-healthcare. It’s about designing the end-to-end infrastructure stack that providers actually need.
The Virtual Care Infrastructure Stack
Think of virtual care like an iceberg: the consultation you see on screen is just the tip. Below the surface lies a deep stack of systems and integrations that must work seamlessly together. Each layer represents a business opportunity.
Layer 1: Scheduling and Patient Flow Management
💰 Revenue Potential: $200K–$2M annually
Most healthcare providers still rely on consumer video tools like Zoom or Teams. While convenient, these platforms weren’t built for:
- HIPAA compliance
- Integration with electronic health records (EHRs)
- Insurance billing
- Virtual waiting rooms and clinical workflows
Opportunity: Build HIPAA-compliant scheduling and patient flow systems tailored for telehealth. One startup we analyzed scaled from $0 to $1.8M in ARR within 18 months by simply solving appointment scheduling for virtual-first practices.
Layer 2: Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) Integration
💰 Revenue Potential: $500K–$5M annually
Telehealth works best when it’s not just episodic but continuous. Remote monitoring through devices like smartwatches, glucose meters, and blood pressure cuffs makes this possible.
The problem? 68% of providers report difficulty integrating RPM data into their existing workflows. They’re drowning in raw data but starving for actionable insights.
Opportunity: Develop platforms that aggregate wearable, home monitoring, and patient-reported data into easy-to-use dashboards for providers—turning streams of information into clinical decision support.
Layer 3: Virtual Care Analytics and Optimization
💰 Revenue Potential: $1M–$10M annually
Most health systems implementing telehealth have limited visibility into:
- Clinical outcomes
- Operational efficiency metrics
- Patient satisfaction trends
Without analytics, providers can’t prove value, optimize operations, or improve care.
Opportunity: Offer analytics platforms that track KPIs, benchmark outcomes, and deliver insights to administrators. Analytics doesn’t just create efficiency—it creates recurring revenue streams that scale with provider usage.
The Telemedicine Service Business Model
Beyond infrastructure, another wave of opportunities lies in specialized telehealth services. The mistake many make is going broad; the winners are going niche.
Here’s the 3-step framework:
Step 1: Identify Underserved Specialties
While primary care telemedicine is saturated, specialties like dermatology, psychiatry, endocrinology, and chronic disease management remain underserved. Patients in these fields often face months-long wait times for in-person care.
Step 2: Build Specialist Networks
Physicians are increasingly open to virtual-only practices, especially those nearing retirement or looking for flexibility. They just need the infrastructure and patient flow.
Entrepreneurs who can aggregate specialist networks and connect them to patients stand to create scalable service businesses.
Step 3: Focus on Insurance Integration
The #1 barrier to telehealth adoption isn’t technology—it’s insurance reimbursement complexity.
Services that streamline:
- Insurance verification
- Prior authorizations
- Claims processing
…will command premium pricing. The companies solving this “last mile” of reimbursement are building sticky businesses with defensible moats.
The 60-Day Virtual Care Business Launch
Here’s a practical roadmap for entrepreneurs looking to enter the market quickly:
Weeks 1–2: Market Analysis
- Research geographic areas or specialties with underserved demand.
- Rural areas and mental health are consistently high-need.
Weeks 3–4: Technology Selection
- Don’t reinvent the wheel. Start with white-label telehealth platforms like Doxy.me or SimplePractice.
- Customize for your chosen specialty.
Weeks 5–6: Provider Recruitment
- Recruit physicians who are interested in virtual-only or hybrid practices.
- Many are looking for lower overhead, better work-life balance, and the flexibility to practice from anywhere.
Weeks 7–8: Patient Acquisition and Launch
- Start with direct-pay models to simplify operations.
- Layer in insurance-covered services once the patient flow is established.
The Takeaway: Why Infrastructure Is the Real Gold Rush
The global virtual care market is growing at 11.83% annually. That means billions of dollars in new value are being created every year.
But here’s the catch: the real winners won’t just be the companies offering generic video consultations. They’ll be the founders building the infrastructure, integrations, and specialized services that make virtual care actually work.
While others debate whether telemedicine is here to stay, smart entrepreneurs are quietly building the systems that make it indispensable—and getting paid every month for running the pipes of the new healthcare economy.
Dr. Hamza Asumah 
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