1、 2023 Boston Consulting Group1Its happening without a lot of attention or fanfare,but the metaverse is spurring atransformation in health care.Innovative companies backed by substantial funding areachieving a rare trifectaincreased access,better outcomes,and lower costsin areas suchas medical and su

2、rgical imaging,mental health,and medical training.Even though the metaverse is still in its early stages of development,most areas of health careare already experiencing its impact.Rapidly advancing technology and increasing adoptionsuggest significant disruption to come.Providers and payers need to

3、 determine now how theywill engage with these developments.They should start with an understanding of the range ofThe Health Care Metaverse Is MoreThan a Virtual RealityJANUARY 19,2023 By Ozgur Adigozel,Tibor Mrey,and Madeline Mathews 2023 Boston Consulting Group2use cases already in the market,as w

4、ell as those under development,and then define theirvision for how these next-generation technologies can benefit them and their patients.On thatfoundation,they can decide where to invest strategically and how to prioritize their own usecase development so they can evolve with the market rather than

5、 follow it.The Metaverse in Health Care TodayTo many,the metaverse invokes gaming and entertainment,but the underlying technologieshave real uses in health care today.These include extended reality(augmented reality,virtualreality,and mixed reality,or AR,VR,and MR,collectively referred to as XR);Web

6、3technologies and applications,such as blockchain and virtual assets;and M-worlds,the livevirtual“places”where users gather and create content.So far,the majority of health care usecases involve XR.The technologies are being used in several diagnostic and therapeuticapplications,as well as in medica