COVID-related restrictions accelerated the adoption of telehealth use over the past two years, with three in four health practitioners (74.7%) currently employing telemedicine in their practices, a statistic that, given pandemic-born restrictions, may not be all that surprising.
But what is now notable, especially as those precautions are sunsetting and healthcare is returning to pre-COVID rhythms, almost three in five medical practices (56.5%) say they are planning to increase their use of remote healthcare services in the future.
The findings are from a just-released statewide survey of more than 9,200 licensed health care providers, including those who have adopted telehealth for the first time, despite the fact that the technology has been available for more than a quarter century. The survey was commissioned by the Virginia Telehealth Network (VTN), a nonprofit membership organization that promotes telehealth efforts in the Commonwealth.
“I work with individuals who live in rural areas, do not have transportation, and who also have to watch a child or children,” said Hannah Phillips Hale, Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Art Therapist at Ripple FX, Inc. “Being at home and completing telehealth sessions allows them the ability to actually participate, as they would be unable to attend in person due to all of these barriers.”
“We are seeing a wholesale shift – among health care providers, insurers, policymakers and patients themselves – in recognizing the efficiencies and practicality of telemedicine, and the results of this survey validate its growing popularity,” said Karen S. Rheuban, MD, a pediatric cardiologist, co-founder of the UVA Center for Telehealth and chair of the VTN board.
The survey found that support for telehealth was even higher than the percentage of health care practitioners who are using it. More than nine in 10 (91.2%) agreed that telemedicine allowed them to address patient-care barriers posed by the pandemic. Among those who are not employing telehealth, nearly half (45.5%) said that the platform was not compatible with their practice area.
Respondents also pointed to other benefits of telemedicine. More than half (56%) of the practitioners surveyed agreed that telehealth enabled them to take on new patients beyond their local community, underscoring the capacity for health care providers to serve patients in historically underserved communities. The virtual care options also allowed practices to enhance care coordination for their patients (cited by 63.1%) and see more patients (67%).
“These survey results reflect the fact that the transition to telehealth throughout the commonwealth has largely been a positive experience for health care providers,” Rheuban said. “What the findings don’t tell us – and in truth, don’t need to tell us – is the fulsome embrace of telemedicine by patients across every part of Virginia. The fact is, telehealth is a win-win for health care professionals and patients alike.”
