New Survey by American Well Finds That Over Half of U.S. Physicians Expect to Use Video Visits to Care for Patients by 2022
Study points to physician burnout as a major driver of this inflection point for telehealth adoption
BOSTON, April 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey out by national telehealth leader American Well® finds physician telehealth adoption is at an inflection point. This shift in readiness is driven by physicians' desire to improve patient access to care, improve patient outcomes and attract and retain patients. Coupled with a more promising reimbursement landscape and health systems' vision to expand telehealth use, this shift in provider expectations around telehealth is set to fuel significant growth in the sector.
"Physicians are adopting telehealth much faster than they adopted EHRs at a similar stage of market development1," said Dr. Sylvia Romm, Vice President of Clinical Transformation at American Well. "Physicians' increased willingness to see patients over video, in addition to the increasing physician shortage, high burnout rates and a more favorable reimbursement landscape, signals a boom in virtual visits over the next several years. It's exciting to be a part of such a significant movement."
The survey, which polled 800 physicians across the United States, was fielded in December 2018 by M3 Global Research. Survey data can be compared to a similar study done in 2015.
Among its key findings:
Physician adoption of telehealth has increased significantly. A total of 22 percent of physicians have used telehealth to see patients, up 340 percent from 2015 when only 5 percent of physicians reported having ever used telehealth.
More physicians are willing to try telehealth. A total of 69 percent of physicians said they would be willing to use telehealth, up 12 percentage points, from 57 percent in 2015. Interestingly, newer physicians (aged 25-34) were somewhat less willing to use telehealth compared to other young physicians (aged 35-44), possibly because these physicians are still learning their craft and thus less confident about new technology.
Specialists want to use telehealth, especially those who are burnt out. Specialists most willing to practice via telehealth are also among the most burnt out. The top specialties willing to practice via telehealth include: Urology, Emergency Medicine, Infectious Disease, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Oncology and Neurology.
Barriers to adoption still exist – but they can be addressed. For most specialties, there is a significant gap between willingness to use telehealth and actual telehealth usage. Burnt out specialists such as urologists, emergency medicine providers and infectious disease physicians are the most willing to use telehealth, but they're among the least likely to have used it. Physician barriers to telehealth include: uncertainty around reimbursement, questions about clinical appropriateness, lack of physician buy-in, poor leadership support. Each of these areas has seen significant positive progress since 2015.
Physician adoption of telehealth is at an inflection point. While 22 percent of doctors report using telehealth today, over half of those who are not using telehealth said they are either very likely or likely to start using telehealth within 3 years. This would bring the total percent of physicians using telehealth to roughly 61 percent by 2022 – more than half a million doctors in all.
Physicians already using telehealth expect to use it more in the future. Among doctors who have tried video visits already, the percentage who use telemedicine 2 times a week or more now is 15 percent – but is expected to grow to 50 percent by 2022.
American Well is exhibiting at the 2019 American Telemedicine Association Conference April 14-16 in New Orleans, LA. Visit American Well's booth, #1017, to learn more about our telehealth offering for hospitals, health systems, and providers.
About American Well
American Well is a leading telehealth platform in the United States and globally, connecting and enabling providers, insurers, patients, and innovators to deliver greater access to more affordable, higher quality care. American Well believes that digital care delivery will transform healthcare. The Company offers a single, comprehensive platform to support all telehealth needs from urgent to acute and post-acute care, as well as chronic care management and healthy living. With over a decade of experience, American Well powers telehealth solutions for over 150 health systems comprised of 2,000 hospitals and 55 health plan partners with over 7,000 employers, covering over 150 million lives. For more information, please visit AmericanWell.com.
American Well, Amwell, Virtual First and The Exchange are registered trademarks or trademarks of American Well Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.
About M3 Global Research
M3 Global Research, part of M3 Inc., provides market research recruitment, data collection, and support services reaching respondents in 248 markets across 70 countries worldwide with a strong emphasis on the healthcare space. Working in highly regulated industries, M3 maintains ISO 26362 and 27001 certifications, providing data collection and project management capabilities covering a broad spectrum of quantitative and qualitative techniques.
Media Contact:
Innsena Communications for American Well
[email protected]
1 Centers for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/emr_ehr_09/emr_ehr_09.htm
SOURCE American Well
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