In what some are calling one of the first comprehensive data studies examining physician employment trends in telemedicine, the number of doctors who self-reported telemedicine as a skill between 2015 and 2018 has doubled and continues to increase annually by 20 percent.
The findings come from Doximity, a professional medical network, which used its own data on engagement with job postings on the Doximity network. Posted positions reflect those that were advertised through the Doximity network, which has over 70 percent of all U.S. doctors as members.
The study’s authors note that this growth in physician interest correlates with the increasing number of telemedicine patient visits, which has jumped 261 percent annually between 2015 and 2017, according to a recent report published in JAMA.
Indeed, the American Medical Association’s (AMA) most recent national physician survey found that 15 percent of physicians have used telemedicine in clinical settings such as diagnosing or treating patients, but research has been limited to date on the population of physicians delivering telemedicine-based care and how this cohort of clinicians is developing professionally. “This is an important point to understand if healthcare stakeholders want to ensure that there are enough physicians available to meet the demand generated by the growth in telemedicine,” the report’s authors noted.
Doximity also observed growing physician interest in locum tenens work, which is a temporary physician employment opportunity that is considered part-time. Many telemedicine positions are also part time, so this could signal a growing trend of physicians gravitating towards more flexible clinical positions, they concluded.
“With this unique data set, for the first time we can narrowly study physicians and their relationship with alternative clinical opportunities, such as telemedicine and locum tenens opportunities,” said Christopher Whaley, Ph.D., lead author of the study and adjunct assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health.
It should also be noted that a recent survey from telehealth company American Well similarly found that 22 percent of 800 surveyed physicians said they have used telehealth to see patients, up 340 percent from 2015 when only 5 percent of physicians reported having ever used telehealth.
Other key report findings include:
- Female physicians are more interested in telemedicine job opportunities. When analyzing physician interest in job opportunities by gender, the data shows that women were 10 percent more interested in telemedicine jobs, relative to men.
- All age groups are interested in telemedicine. When examining physician interest by age, the study found nearly equal engagement in telemedicine job postings across different age groups.
- Physicians who live in large metro areas are most interested in telemedicine opportunities. When examining physician interest by location, Doximity ranked the top U.S. metros that had the highest number of physicians expressing interest in telemedicine. The findings show that most of the physicians currently reside in highly-populated metro areas such as San Diego, Miami, Atlanta, New York City and Salt Lake City.
- Further, when looking at specialists who are most interested in telemedicine opportunities, radiology and psychiatry were the two top specialties. Anesthesiology and general surgery were the least interested of the specialties.
“Our research shows that doctors are embracing telemedicine as an alternative to traditional clinical practices, which is good news for patients,” said Dr. Amit Phull, vice president of strategy and insights at Doximity. “By removing physical limitations, physicians can now expand their patient-base to rural areas that are currently underserved by different specialties. If you start to view the physician shortage as a problem of where the doctors are located, which is mainly in the major metros, it’s easy to see how more telemedicine can help address this serious challenge.”
