Survey: Sixty-Three Percent of Patients Plan on Using Telehealth Alongside In-Person Visits
On Nov. 15, Santa Monica, Calif.-based GoodRX, a healthcare company that operates a telemedicine platform and a website and mobile app that track prescription drug prices in the United States and provide free drug coupons for discounts on medications, released the results of a survey entitled, “The State of Telehealth, According to Healthcare Providers and Patients.”
The survey states that “GoodRx Research surveyed over 1,000 patients and over 600 providers during August and September 2021 about their telehealth experiences. In the survey, both providers and consumers told us that they valued telehealth and planned to use it in the future. But that doesn’t mean they’re ready to forgo in-person visits, either.”
Key highlights from the report include:
- During the COVID-19 pandemic 47 percent of respondents reported that they used telehealth
- Thirty-seven percent said they did not use telehealth prior to the pandemic
- Seventeen percent reported that they used telehealth before the pandemic
- Sixty-three of respondents plan on using telehealth alongside in-person visits going forward
- Pertaining to factors such as quality of care, comfort level with providers, and cost, many consumers viewed telehealth as neither better nor worse
- Convenience was better with virtual care—a majority of respondents noted that securing an appointment and scheduling were easier with telehealth
- Approximately 40 percent of consumers interact with providers more because of telehealth
- Sixty-five percent of healthcare providers used telehealth to diagnose a new health issue
- More than 51 percent used it to prescribe medication for a new health issue raised during a telehealth visit
- More than 70 percent of providers we surveyed reported that telehealth had made patient continuity of care better or much better
- Approximately 60 percent reported that telehealth had made adherence to medication and conversations around cost better or much better
The survey concludes that “However, telehealth may not be a one-size-fits-all approach to healthcare. Both patients and providers should be mindful of its limitations. But even though some patients may be returning to in-person health appointments as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the telehealth space will likely continue to grow in popularity because of its convenience, security, and benefits to overall patient care.”
For the consumer portion of the survey, GoodRx surveyed 1,042 adults in the U.S. via an online survey. The survey ran from September 13 to 17, 2021. For the provider portion of the survey, GoodRx Research, in collaboration with the American Telemedicine Association, surveyed 624 providers, via an online survey from August 2 to September 5, 2021, to learn about their telehealth experiences.
