Telehealth Emerges as Preferred Channel for Routine Care While Increasing Access to Mental Health Treatment, J.D. Power Finds
Has the routine physician's office visit been permanently disrupted by telehealth? According to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study,SM released today, a growing majority of consumers now say they prefer telehealth over in-person visits for a wide range of routine care, including prescription refills, reviews of medication options and to discuss medical results. Additionally, almost all?94%?of telehealth users say they would use the technology to receive medical services in the future.
"Telehealth and digital technologies are transforming how patients seek and receive healthcare," said Christopher Lis, managing director of global healthcare intelligence at J.D. Power. "Telehealth has the potential to increase access, convenience, care coordination and continuity, improve outcomes, and fill in gaps in provider coverage, particularly in underserved areas. As technology adoption and consumer demand continue to increase, it will be important to keep evaluating what's working well and which areas need improvement, with the aim being to improve equitable access, quality of care and patient outcomes that complement in-person care."
Following are some key findings of the 2022 study:
- Telehealth adoption continues to surge: Overall, 67% of survey respondents have accessed video telehealth services during the past year, up from a pre-pandemic level of 37% in 2019.
- Patients really like telehealth: The vast majority (94%) of patients and their families who received medical services through a telehealth provider in the past 12 months say they "definitely will" or "probably will" use telehealth to receive medical services in the future.
- Preferred channel for routine care: Telehealth encounters are preferred to in-person visits for several forms of routine care. Among patients using telehealth in the past year, 80% say they prefer telehealth for prescription refills; 72% say they prefer telehealth for reviewing medication options; and 71% say they prefer telehealth for discussing test results. Another 57% of patients say they prefer telehealth for regular mental health visits.
- Convenience and speed drive utilization: The top reasons for telehealth utilization are convenience (61%); ability to receive care quickly (49%); and ease of access to health information (28%).
- Digital face time still important: The key drivers of patient satisfaction with telehealth providers are 1) spending enough time to provide quality care and 2) explaining things clearly and completely resolving medical concerns on the first visit.
Study Rankings
LiveHealth Online ranks highest in telehealth satisfaction among direct-to-consumer brands, with a score of 869. Doctor on Demand (864) ranks second and eVisit (862) ranks third.
Humana ranks highest among payers of health plan-provided telehealth services, with a score of 862. Aetna (855) ranks second. The segment average is 852.
See the rank charts for each segment at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2022132.
The J.D. Power U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study, now in its fourth year, measures customer satisfaction with telehealth service experience based on four factors (in order of importance): customer service (42%); consultation (28%); enrollment (19%); and billing and payment (11%). The study is based on responses of 4,306 healthcare customers who used a telehealth service within the past 12 months. It was fielded in June-July 2022.
For more information about the 2022 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study, visit
https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-telehealth-study.
About J.D. Power
J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.
J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.
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