RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hospitals and healthcare-delivery systems are embracing telehealth, having made substantial investments in infrastructure, training, and process re-engineering. Yet most patients — about eight out of 10 consumers — are still largely unaware of how to access telehealth or whether their insurer will cover it.
These are just the first insights gleaned from study about attitudes and challenges surrounding virtual care, sponsored by Avizia, the leading provider of system-wide telehealth.
Detailed survey results based on insights from both healthcare providers and patients are included in the 2017 Closing the Telehealth Gap white paper, which also features analysis by researchers on what the findings mean for the future of care delivery. As the data indicates, there is strong momentum for telehealth, but patients need a little more guidance and education to increase adoption more broadly.
Key findings include:
- Eighteen percent of consumers surveyed said they had used telehealth, while 82 percent had not.
- When asked to rate their experience with telehealth on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 signifying a “great experience,” 62 percent of consumers who used telehealth ranked their experience a 10, 9, or 8.
- Consumers who used telehealth appreciated time savings and convenience (59 percent), faster service and shorter wait times to see the doctor (55 percent), and cost savings due to less travel (43 percent).
- Providers are most interested in telehealth’s ability to expand access or reach to patients (72 percent), but flagged reimbursement as a barrier to implementation (41 percent), followed by program cost (40 percent), and clinician resistance (22 percent).
“Health systems are investing in telehealth, even as uptick is slow among consumers, because they understand the potential of the technology to impact patient care in a profound way,” says Mike Baird, CEO of Avizia. “As technology advances and health system priorities shift, we expect to see a greater number of hospitals seeking new ways to leverage telehealth on a system-wide level to support the shift to value-based care.”
In addition to survey results, the 2017 Closing the Telehealth Gap white paper highlights two health system case studies that demonstrate how telehealth is making a meaningful, measurable difference in patient care, outcomes, and cost savings.
To see the full results of the survey and download the 2017 Closing the Telehealth Gap white paper, visit https://www.avizia.com/2017-closing-telehealth-gap-research-report.
ABOUT THE STUDY
The objective of the 2017 studies was to seek to understand opinions and practices of telehealth and telemedicine, gain insights from the general population on telehealth usage, and gauge future interest in utilizing telehealth services. For the consumer study, a population sample was targeted (18 years or older and living in the United States). Responses were collected between March 7 and March 19, 2017. There were 403 respondents. Survey findings may be considered accurate to a 95 percent confidence level, with a sampling tolerance of approximately +/- 4.9 percent. For the healthcare provider study, Modern Healthcare sent a broadcast email to a sample of 34,597 healthcare professionals who subscribe to the magazine on March 1, 2017, asking them to participate in a survey. The provider survey data is based on 444 respondents whose organizations currently use telehealth or telemedicine. Survey findings may be considered accurate to a 95 percent confidence level, with a sampling tolerance of approximately +/- 4.7 percent. For both the surveys of consumers and healthcare professionals, Modern Healthcare commissioned Signet Research, Inc., an independent company.
ABOUT AVIZIA
Avizia partners with providers to deploy and power system-wide telehealth. To do this, Avizia combines a collaborative approach with a market-leading telehealth solutions suite that scales across the continuum of care. Trusted by four out of the top five IDNs in the nation and one in four US hospitals, Avizia empowers providers to deliver unparalleled access and clinical excellence to patients. Visit www.avizia.com.
