Americans Like Telehealth Visits and Want More

After a year in pandemic lockdown, Americans’ perception of visiting their doctors virtually rather than in-person has changed dramatically. The vast majority likes having a telemedicine option and want it to continue. So concludes a new survey by Sykes that polled 2,000 Americans in March on how their opinions on virtual care have changed within the past year. What a Difference a Pandemic Makes Before COVID-19, virtual care was more of a concept than a reality, one hampered by regulatory and insurance requirements. An earlier Sykes Survey from March 2020 found that fewer than 20 percent had ever had a telemedicine appointment. COVID-19, however, proved a game changer as the government and insurers temporarily lifted previous restrictions so that homebound patients could seek medical care and advice safely from a distance. Thus, in the Sykes survey from March 2021, 61 percent of respondents reported having had a telehealth visit.

Source: Sykes

Attitudes have Changed Given the opportunity and impetus to try out virtual health, most seem to have liked the experience and want to keep doing it. A year ago, roughly 65 percent of Americans said they felt hesitant or doubtful about the quality of telemedicine, and 56 percent did not believe it was possible to receive the same level of care as compared to in-person appointments. One year later, almost 88 percent want to continue using telehealth for nonurgent consultations after COVID-19 has passed, while almost 80 percent say that it is possible to receive quality care virtually.

Source: Sykes

Furthermore, the pandemic increased the willingness of Americans to try telehealth.

Source: Sykes

Over 85 percent of surveyed respondents agreed that telehealth has made it easier to get needed health care and over 64 percent said that going forward, they would like to have at least part of their annual exams done via telehealth. Another 74 percent said they would be willing to share data collected on a fitness tracker or smart medical devise with their physicians. Among the perceived benefits of telehealth is the convenience and ease of not having to commute to a doctor’s office, and not having to wait in a doctor’s waiting room around other sick patients. Takeaway According to Sykes, the telehealth/telemedicine industry is poised to expand at compound annual growth rates as high as 21.4 percent by 2025. “As more and more patients come to experience telehealth, many are already discovering and enjoying the numerous benefits that come with digitally distant care. And given all that telemedicine has to offer, it’s a safe bet that the next waiting room you enter will require a username and password.”