Telemedicine has been around for a long time, and with smart phones and tablets being ever present in our lives, the possibilities it holds have been largely expanded. Most patients and providers are open to exploring the opportunities telehealth has to offer, and each year the percentage of people willing to try it for themselves goes up.
With Telehealth’s numerous benefits to both patients and providers, it’s no wonder that it’s gaining support. However, despite its favorable position, many providers are still not offering telehealth to their patients. This has largely been an issue of a lack of insurance coverage for telehealth.
Changes made by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services in 2018 and 2019 allowed for greater coverage of certain telemedicine offerings, and the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted even more changes to expand coverage. While many of the most recent changes are set to last only as long as COVID-19 remains a threat, it’s the hope that as patients and providers have the chance to experience telehealth, it will become more normalized and coverage will continue to expand.
Opening Up to Telemedicine
Even as far back as 2015, 80 percent of patients were ready to look beyond the typical doctor’s visit for their healthcare needs. Today nearly nine in ten Americans say they would be comfortable using at least one form of telemedicine for themselves or a loved one. This number does not differ whether the respondent is aged 18 to 39 or in the 40 plus category.
What is more, for those individuals who have tried telemedicine, they rate their experience higher than patients having traditional in-office appointments. Eighty-five percent of patients report that their telehealth visit resolved their concerns, compared to only 64 percent of those with in-office visits. Likewise, 79 percent of telehealth users found the scheduling more convenient, 83 percent reported their care to be as good or better than when in person, and 66 percent felt personally connected to their provider.
Providers have expressed similar willingness to offer telemedicine options. Ninety percent of physicians agree that telehealth is beneficial for its increased access and opportunities for communication. A 2019 survey of physicians reported that 69 percent were willing to use telehealth options in their practice. Besides increased access to patients, providers mentioned a more flexible work-life balance offered by telehealth, greater patient retention, and improved outcomes.
While age does not have as much to do with willingness to try telehealth options as some would think, it’s worth noting that younger patients have different expectations of their providers where telemedicine is concerned. Forty percent of millennials (people between the ages of 23 and 39) report that telemedicine is either extremely or very important to them as an option. So, while patients across the age spectrum are willing to use telemedicine, younger patients are more likely to choose providers based on the telehealth options offered.
Benefits and Opportunities
For both patients and providers, telehealth comes with numerous benefits. For patients, telehealth visits save time. The average telehealth visit is only 13 to 15 minutes, while a typical in-person visit takes two hours, not including the time it takes to travel to and from the provider in the first place. Virtual visits also save patients the cost associated with driving and parking or using public transit to get to their doctor.
Virtual medicine also reduces stress for the patient as they can remain in the comfort of their own living space. As was mentioned above, patients report greater satisfaction of their telehealth visits than they do brick-and-mortar appointments. Finally, telemedicine allows patients greater access to providers. Rural and remote patients especially benefit from the increased access provided by virtual visits to physicians and specialists.
With telehealth providers can reach more patients, and increased patient satisfaction leads to increased patient retention. Virtual visits aren’t only more convenient for patients– doctors experience greater convenience as well. Providers also gain an increase in revenue and efficiency as they are able to see more patients and the number of no-shows decreases.
Benefits Specific to COVID-19
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine offers even more benefits of even greater importance while helping minimize the impact of the coronavirus on the health of patients and doctors. Health providers are being stretched to their limits, and telemedicine offers shorter visits and decreased contact with infected patients. Patients who are sick with other illnesses won’t potentially expose themselves to COVID-19, and those with mild COVID-19 symptoms can consult doctors virtually to avoid infecting others. Individuals can follow stay-at-home orders yet still consult their physicians.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of virtual medicine during this crisis is the safety it affords to those with chronic diseases and other high-risk patients. Telehealth options allow patients with already-compromised health to consult doctors without exposing themselves to COVID-19 and other potentially debilitating illnesses.
More Coverage Making It Easier
In 2018, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services made it possible for providers to receive third-party reimbursements for some telehealth offerings. Further improvements came in 2019 and even more in 2020. While rules vary from state to state and between various private insurers, the changes made by the CMS have prompted similar changes across the board.
The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in an even greater expansion of reimbursements for telehealth. The federal government has made changes that allow for coverage of a wider range of telehealth services. Medicare coverage is now available for telehealth visits, virtual check-ins, and e-visits through patient portals. In addition, the Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights is waiving penalties for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations by providers serving patients in good faith via communication technologies like FaceTime and Skype. These changes are only in place for the duration of the current crisis, but as they allow more people to experience telehealth with positive results, the effect will hopefully see an increased adoption of telemedicine overall.
Marketing Strategies
Many patients are not aware of what telemedicine opportunities are available, and even more are unaware that these opportunities are now likely covered by their health insurance. It is up to you to inform your patients of the telehealth capabilities you are offering, how it works, its many benefits, and how appointments can be made.
Telehealth also allows further expansion of your patient population. By offering virtual appointments, you can potentially reach a much larger population of patients who otherwise would be unable to make use of in-person appointments for any number of reasons.
The marketing principles remain for telehealth. Consider looking at your telehealth services as a new location that could have a broader audience. You may want to look at what you can bundle together and create short term programs for defined audiences. For example, if you’re a primary care you could create a 6-week complete health program that gives people a health checkup over a certain number of health indicators including; nutrition counseling, lifestyle advice, blood tests and other relevant labs. These could be tailored for specific age groups as well.
The future is wide open. There has been much discussion about the promises of telemedicine over the years. While some physicians offered telehealth options, several barriers stood in the way of making it financially feasible for most providers. It seems strange that it has taken a global pandemic to force the use of something that provides so many benefits to patients and providers. As you move forward with your own virtual offerings, consider talking to a professional marketing agency about support and ideas to get your services off of the ground.