(Originally published in
Healthcare Call Center Times in October 2020.)
CHICAGO, IL—In our stories discussing the healthcare system’s response to COVID-19, one of the constants was the movement toward virtual care as a way to take care of many healthcare needs safely. The question has been raised as what this short-term response mechanism may mean on the telehealth adoption curve. Will it move sharply upward as virtual care becomes a mainstream offering, or will there still be challenges in its adoption?
Helping to sort through this is some recent data from the Chicago-based West Monroe Partners consulting firm. This past March, the company surveyed 3,000 consumers in Seattle, Chicago and Minneapolis (1,000 in each market) to get a feel for how people use and feel about using telemedicine in the future.
Eighteen percent of respondents in Minneapolis and Chicago have used telemedicine services in the past year while 22 percent of people in Seattle have done so. Of those who have used it in Seattle, 75 percent of them have used it for primary care provider follow-up visits, 26 percent for specialist visits, 27 percent for mental health services, 23 percent for lifestyle support (e.g. smoking cessation, weight loss) and 12 percent for chronic disease care (e.g. remote monitoring for heart problems). In Minneapolis, 65 percent have used it for primary care provider follow-up visits, 68 percent in Chicago.
The survey asked those who are not interested in telemedicine to state their primary reasons. In Chicago, 17 percent of respondents had concerns about the security of their personal healthcare information and communications, 47 percent did not trust that telemedicine delivers the same quality of care, 18 percent said that their familiarity with in-person visits/treatments inclines them to this approach, 18 percent said they don’t have access/understand how to get access to telemedicine and 16 percent had other reasons. Responses were similar in Seattle with Minneapolis percentages increased for “don’t trust that telemedicine delivers the same quality of care (41 percent) and “I don’t have access/understand how to get access to telemedicine (31 percent).
Making the Change
The survey asked respondents the degree they’d consider substituting telemedicine for in-person visits if given the option by their provider. In Minneapolis, for example, 29 percent of respondents would strongly consider doing so for a visit with a primary care provider while 52 percent might consider this option. Nineteen percent would not consider this. Eighteen percent of respondents would strongly consider doing so for a specialist visit with 41 percent might consider and 41 percent would not consider this option.
Forty-nine percent of respondents would consider a telemedicine appointment for routine illnesses such as cold and strep throat while 38 percent would consider it and 13 percent would not consider this option. Twenty-four percent of respondents would strongly consider a telemedicine visit for chronic disease care while 41 percent of respondents might consider it and 35 percent would not consider it. Forty-six percent of respondents would consider a telemedicine visit for lifestyle support while 42 percent would consider it and 12 percent would not do it. Thirty-three percent of respondents would strongly consider telemedicine for mental health services while 43 percent might consider it and 24 percent would not.
Responses to these questions were roughly similar in Seattle and Chicago. It will be interesting to see if actual use of telemedicine is higher moving forward as a result of the flurry of use during COVID-19, given the apparent willingness of people to be open to this avenue.