According to a new report, after the initial surge to 32% in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of telemedicine in doctor’s offices and outpatient visits has stabilized, ranging from 13% to 17%. But even with a decline, the use of telemedicine is still 38 times higher than before the pandemic.
The report analyzes the claim data, Released on Friday McKinsey & Company.
The authors of the report were shocked by the stability and high level of telemedicine use since June last year.
“After the initial spike in April 2020, everyone wants to know whether it will level off or fall, and how much it will fall,” McKinsey’s expert associate partner and report author Oleg Bestsonny ( Oleg Bestsennyy) said in an email. “Interestingly, the overall interest rate is still 30-40 times higher [than] The level before the pandemic, even with some slight fluctuations. “
Although the use of telemedicine has stabilized, there are still differences in the use of various professions.
For example, telemedicine has the highest usage rate in psychiatry (50%), followed by substance use disorder treatment (30%), endocrinology (17%), and rheumatology (17%).
“The level of telemedicine adoption for psychiatric consultation is also interesting,” Bestsennyy said. “Now, more than half of all such visits are done through telemedicine channels, and this trend is spreading to a wide range of behavioral health problems and visits.”
Changes in consumers’ perceptions of telemedicine have played a key role in its adoption.
Approximately 40% of consumers said they will continue to use telemedicine, compared with 11% before the pandemic.
In fact, since January, about 20% of emergency care center visits have been made via video or telephone. Similarly, 30% of pharmacy or retail store health clinic visits and 29% of pediatrician visits are conducted via video or telephone.
In addition, 40% to 60% of consumers are interested in a wider range of virtual health solutions, such as digital front doors or low cost Virtual Priority Health Plan.
Providers’ views on telemedicine have also changed. Compared to before the Covid-19 crisis, more than half (58%) of doctors now continue to be optimistic about telemedicine, although this view has declined slightly (64%) since September last year. As of April this year, the majority (84%) of doctors provide virtual consultation services, and 57% of doctors said they would prefer to continue to provide them.
But reimbursement is still an obstacle. 54% of doctors said they would not provide virtual care at a 15% discount compared to face-to-face care.
Photo: Anastasia Usenko, Getty Images
