Telehealth levels off at 20% or less of appointment volume
Providers are open to using telehealth systems to deliver care, but limitations of the technology continue to be an issue.
Telehealth, which saw a surge in usage during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, has leveled off and now accounts for about 20% or less of all health care appointments, a new survey has found. And the findings suggest that although health systems and providers are open to using telehealth systems to deliver care, limitations of the technology continue to be an issue.
The report, “The Intersection of Value and Telehealth,” released by the Center for Connected Medicine (CCM) and Klas Research, was based on a survey of 96 health care professionals from a range of roles and organizations. It found that while volume has declined and barriers remain to delivering and integrating telehealth services, providers continue to see it as a needed option for total care delivery.
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“Telemedicine is an important technology for advancing care and improving value at health systems. While utilization has declined compared with pandemic highs of 2020, we continue to invest in our telehealth capabilities because it is the right thing to do for our communities,” said Rob Bart, MD, Chief Medical Information Officer of Pittsburgh-based UPMC, a founding partner of the CCM.
Declining numbers, but interest in telehealth remains
The survey found that telehealth services, while still being offered, have declined since the early days of the pandemic in 2020, when lockdowns were in place and providers were limiting in-person care. The survey, conducted in May and June of 2021, found that more than 80% of survey respondents said 20% or less of their organizations’ appointments were now being conducted virtually. Even providers with higher levels of telehealth delivery did not expect their volumes to stay at that level.
“Of the small number of hospitals and health systems reporting 30% or more of patient volume as virtual, many said they expected that number to decline as the pandemic wanes,” the report said.
At the same time, providers continue to see telehealth as part of their future model of care delivery. The report noted that health systems forecast telehealth as playing a role in managing the health of patient populations while containing costs. “Telehealth services are already used frequently for primary care and behavioral health, and initial success is prompting provider organizations to grow these services as well as expand into other clinical lines,” the report said.
Two areas of possible growth: chronic care management and urgent care. The report said telehealth options could help provide chronic care patients with more consistent services, while urgent care could use telehealth to avoid expensive in-person appointments for some patients.
Barriers to care
The report also noted that significant barriers to telehealth remain for both providers and patients, which may limit the growth of telehealth in the near term.
For example, the survey found a strong majority of respondents reported patient access to technology was an obstacle to advancing telehealth at their organization: 65% said they saw this as the biggest barrier to telehealth growth.
The second-biggest obstacle reported was uncertainty around reimbursements for telehealth services. Much of that uncertainty involves regulatory changes made on the federal level during the pandemic—changes that have an uncertain future. The study quoted a health care manager as saying, “COVID-19 legislation has been an enabler for reimbursement. I hope we don’t go back to 2019 rules when those waivers expire.”
The third barrier commonly mentioned by respondents was the need for better telehealth technology and electronic health record (EHR) integration. “The rapid expansion of telehealth solutions during the pandemic left many organizations with poorly-developed technology and limited EHR integration,” the report said. “Many respondents are exploring options for investment in these areas.”
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