Telehealth by the Numbers

As patients and providers settle into a hybrid healthcare landscape post-pandemic, these telehealth statistics reveal how adoption and perceptions of virtual care have evolved over the past few years.

In a RAND Corporation longitudinal survey of 1,600 American adults from February 2019 through March 2021:

• People who reported having video visits increased to nearly 20% by August 2020 and 45% by March 2021.

• Willingness to use video-based telehealth rose to 62% in March 2021, up from 51% in February 2019.

A JD Power 2022 US Telehealth Satisfaction Study of 4,306 healthcare consumers revealed that:

• 67% of survey respondents accessed video telehealth services during the past year, up from a pre-pandemic level of 37% in 2019.

• 94% who used telehealth in the prior year indicated they intend to use it again.

• Among patients using telehealth in the past year, most preferred virtual care to in-person visits for several forms of routine care:
  
  
  • 80% say they prefer telehealth for prescription refills
  • 72% say they prefer telehealth for reviewing medication options
  • 71% say they prefer telehealth for discussing test results
  • 57% of patients say they prefer telehealth for regular mental health visits.

In an AHIP October 2022 survey of 1,000 commercially insured consumers:

• 69% reported using telehealth in the past year because it’s more convenient than in-person care, with 53% using telehealth between two and five times in the last year.

• 78% say telehealth makes it easier to seek out care:
  
  
  • 46% used telehealth because they were unable to make an in-person appointment
  • 24% said they wanted to save money
  • 23% used telehealth because their doctor’s office was closed

• Women were almost 4x more likely than men to say they used telehealth because they lacked childcare or eldercare services.

• 85% of those surveyed said there are an adequate number of care providers available to them via telehealth, an indication that virtual care is helping to alleviate the provider shortage and improving access.

In an AHIP November 2022 Coverage@Work poll of 818 voters with employer health insurance:

• 65% of respondents reported being likely to consider telehealth for medical treatment.

• 82% of voters with employer-provided coverage think it is important for the federal government to extend telehealth flexibilities.

According to an American Medical Association (AMA) Digital Health Research longitudinal survey of 1,300 physicians between 2016 and 2022:

• 90% of physicians believe digital health tools offer significant advantages in patient care.

• The digital health tools that garner the most enthusiasm among physicians are tele-visits (57%) followed by remote monitoring devices (53%).

• Physicians using virtual visits grew to 80% in 2022, up from 14% in 2016.

• Physicians using remote monitoring devices grew to 30% in 2022, up from 12% in 2016.

As virtual and hybrid care models mature, healthcare professionals continue to find new ways to leverage telehealth to drive efficiency and improve patient and clinician experience, particularly in hospital-based settings.

Learn More:
Enabling Hybrid Care at Every Patient Bedside with Inpatient Virtual Engagement