Trends in the Use of Telehealth

As you may know from your own clinical practices, telehealth visits spiked significantly in the early days of the pandemic. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), telehealth visits were up 154% in the last week of March 2020, compared to the same period last year.

Recent surveys suggest that telehealth is entering a new phase of consumer adoption which may be indicative of the industry post-COVID-19. In the period between June 26 and November 6, 2020, approximately 30% of weekly health center visits were conducted via telehealth. As the number of new COVID-19 cases increased, telehealth visits generally plateaued. As the number of new COVID-19 cases decreased, telehealth visits also declined.

According to the Rock Health Consumer Adoption Report, in a survey of 7,980 respondents from September 4 to October 2, 2020, researchers found that patients with chronic conditions are more likely to use telemedicine (78%) compared with no chronic condition (56%). In a post-COVID environment, for clinics to remain competitive, a telehealth option should still be provided. A majority of patients are likely to prefer in-person visits for more serious medical matters. It may be a possible business strategy to allocate younger, less-experienced doctors to the telehealth service and refer more serious cases to more-experienced physical doctors.

Sources:
Digital Health Consumer Adoption Report 2020
https://rockhealth.com/reports/digital-health-consumer-adoption-report-2020/

Trends in Use of Telehealth Among Health Centers During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, June 26–November 6, 2020
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7007a3.htm

Trends in the Use of Telehealth During the Emergence of the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, January–March 2020
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6943a3.htm