As employers continue to seek innovative ways to deliver accessible, high-quality healthcare, virtual primary care has emerged as a model with staying power, especially among Gen Z and Millennial employees. What began as a pandemic-era necessity has evolved into a trusted, data-driven, and relationship-centered approach that is redefining how employees experience healthcare.
Few organizations have witnessed this transformation more closely than Marathon Health, a national leader in advanced primary care for employers. Through its CareAnywhere virtual primary care solution, Marathon Health is seeing exponential growth in adoption and measurable gains in patient outcomes and satisfaction. From 2022 to 2024, virtual visits doubled. Nearly 60% of those visits are preventive, wait times average under five minutes, and 97% of patients secure their preferred appointment time.
“Virtual primary care has proven its staying power because it aligns with how people—especially Gen Z and Millennials—live and work,” says Heather Weeks, Vice President of Product Strategy at Marathon Health. “These generations expect healthcare to be as accessible and seamless as the rest of their digital lives. Beyond convenience, though, it’s the continuity and quality that have made it permanent.”
From Pandemic Shift to Permanent Fixture
In 2025, virtual healthcare stands are at a crossroads. What began as an emergency response during the pandemic has matured into a cornerstone of the healthcare ecosystem.
“Marathon Health shifted prioritization, rather than changing our model, during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Weeks explains. “It underscored the need for convenient, flexible virtual care services to provide essential primary care services to patients in place of or in addition to in-person care.”
That realization led to the launch of CareAnywhere, a nationwide advanced virtual primary care solution that connects patients with a full virtual care team. “We also relaunched our mobile app and enhanced features of our Patient Portal,” she adds. “Convenience remains the primary reason members choose virtual care. Some members expressed a preference for receiving serious news via video visit because they could be in their own supportive environment.”
The Preventive Care Revolution
Perhaps the most telling indicator of virtual care’s success is the dramatic shift toward preventive medicine. Nearly 60% of CareAnywhere visits are preventive, rather than urgent or reactive, a statistic that signals a fundamental change in patient behavior.
“Preventive care is the foundation of better health outcomes and lower costs,” Weeks says. “Historically, many patients delayed preventive visits because of time, access, or cost barriers. Seeing nearly 60% of visits through CareAnywhere being preventive shows that those barriers are being removed.”
Patients aren’t waiting until something goes wrong; they’re engaging earlier and more consistently. “Patients are now using virtual care to stay ahead of health issues, manage chronic conditions and maintain wellness,” Marathon Health Medical Director for Virtual Care, Dr. Aasha Trowbridge said. “This is a profound change in patient behavior, and it signals that virtual care is driving healthier, more proactive populations.”
Recent survey data underscores that shift: 97% of members were able to schedule at their preferred time, 94% spent less than five minutes in the waiting room, 87% reported better care than through community-based providers, and 96% rated their experience as good or excellent.
Building Trust Through Continuity
One of the enduring criticisms of virtual care is that it can feel transactional or impersonal. Marathon Health tackles that issue head-on by emphasizing continuity of care.
“Continuity of care is the difference between transactional telehealth and true primary care that we offer at Marathon Health,” Trowbridge says. “When patients know they will see the same provider every time, trust builds naturally.”
That trust, Trowbridge notes, encourages patients to share more openly, adhere to treatment plans, and take a proactive approach to preventive care. “Over time, providers gain a deeper understanding of the patient’s health history and goals, which leads to more personalized care and stronger outcomes,” she explains. “In short, continuity transforms virtual care from a convenience into a relationship.”
CareAnywhere’s model reflects that philosophy. Its advanced primary care teams—composed of physicians, nurse practitioners, care coordinators, and patient support staff—work collaboratively on behalf of each patient.
“Our model supports continuity of care by allowing patients to select their provider at the time of appointment booking and even see the same provider for acute and primary care visits,” Weeks says. “This enables more personalized care delivery and creates trusted relationships between patients and their providers.”
Redefining Access
Traditional primary care often means long waits for appointments and limited availability. Marathon Health’s model turns that paradigm on its head. “CareAnywhere is designed to prioritize access without sacrificing quality,” Weeks says. “Our model allows patients to be seen quickly, often the same day and in a setting that works for them—whether at home, at work or on the go.”
Available nationwide, CareAnywhere offers same- and next-day appointments in all U.S. time zones, along with 24/7 access to digital tools, secure messaging, and after-hours nurse triage. For geographically dispersed or rural workforces, the solution provides benefit parity and equal access to high-quality primary care, regardless of location.
A Win-Win for Employers and Employees
As healthcare costs rise and recruitment competition intensifies, employers are under growing pressure to balance financial sustainability with employee satisfaction. Virtual primary care has proven to deliver on both.
“By expanding access to preventive and chronic care management, it reduces costly emergency visits and downstream medical expenses,” Weeks explains. “At the same time, employees appreciate the flexibility and convenience, which reduces time away from work and lowers stress around healthcare.”
The result, she notes, is “a healthier workforce that feels supported, leading to improved morale, stronger retention and higher productivity.”
Quality on Par with In-Person Care
Despite lingering skepticism that virtual care is “second-tier,” patient satisfaction scores tell a different story.
“Our patient satisfaction rates for CareAnywhere consistently match those of in-person visits—95% or higher,” says Trowbridge. “Many patients prefer virtual visits for follow-ups, medication management, or preventive screenings because the care is just as comprehensive without the time and travel burden.”
Marathon Health even sends devices, such as blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, or pulse oximeters, to patients who have established virtual primary care relationships.
“This allows the provider to have a more ‘hands-on visit with the patient and empowers the patient to continue to check on their health between visits,” Weeks says. “This, in combination with external labs, gives our care teams a more comprehensive view of the patient and enables more thorough support of members with chronic conditions or other more complex care needs.”
What’s Next: Integration, Innovation, and Impact
Looking ahead, Marathon Health sees enormous potential for innovation at the intersection of technology, analytics, and hybrid care.
“Integration of virtual care with onsite health centers and local network partners will continue to grow, creating a seamless hybrid model,” Weeks says. “Advanced analytics and AI will make it possible to identify at-risk populations earlier and personalize interventions at scale.”
The organization is already pioneering new approaches, including a virtual MSK (musculoskeletal) program developed with MedBridge and an asynchronous sick care pilot that enables patients to submit symptoms digitally for rapid diagnosis and treatment plans—without scheduling a visit.
“This digital asynchronous option, layered on top of ongoing preventive and primary care, could provide some patients with a complete solution for their care needs,” Weeks adds.
The Future of Employer Health
Virtual primary care, Weeks believes, will soon become the foundation of employer health strategies nationwide. “Virtual primary care will become a cornerstone of employer health strategies,” she says. “In the next five years, we expect to see virtual care embedded in nearly every employer health plan, with hybrid delivery models that give employees maximum flexibility.”
Marathon Health’s commitment goes beyond access. It’s about engagement and measurable outcomes. “We believe it is our responsibility to drive engagement with the help of the client because we know there is a 32% spend differential between engaged versus non-engaged patients,” Weeks notes. “Every dollar spent on accessible primary care saves three dollars downstream.”
Their most recent ROI analysis underscores that impact: 3.7x return by Year 5, 41% fewer hospitalizations, 21% lower claims costs, 82% higher primary care utilization, 15% fewer ER visits, and 31% fewer urgent care visits.
“Virtual primary care is not a trend—it’s a transformation,” Weeks concludes. “By combining convenience, continuity and quality, it’s reshaping how employees experience healthcare and how employers deliver value.”
For more information, visit marathon.health.
Daniel Casciato is a seasoned healthcare writer, publisher, and product reviewer with two decades of experience. He founded Healthcare Business Today to deliver timely insights on healthcare trends, technology, and innovation. His bylines have appeared in outlets such as Cleveland Clinic’s Health Essentials, MedEsthetics Magazine, EMS World, Pittsburgh Business Times, Post-Gazette, Providence Journal, Western PA Healthcare News, and he has written for clients like the American Heart Association, Google Earth, and Southwest Airlines. Through Healthcare Business Today, Daniel continues to inform and inspire professionals across the healthcare landscape.
