Nationwide Telehealth Impact Survey Supported by MHQP Finds High Level of Patient Satisfaction for Telehealth
(April 2021)
Nationwide Survey Finds ‘High Levels of Satisfaction and Expectations for Future Use’
The COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition – comprising more than 1,000 healthcare organizations, technology firms, and nonprofits, including MHQP – has published the Telehealth Impact Patient Survey.
Overall patients reported positive experiences with telehealth visits with 79% of respondents being satisfied with their telehealth visit and 73% expecting to continue to receive healthcare services virtually beyond the pandemic.
The 20-question survey captured the opinions of 2,007 patients across the United States who received at least one telehealth visit during the pandemic and provides insights and data across respondent’s age, type of health insurance and location (rural, suburban, or urban).
The patient survey is part of the Telehealth Impact Study prepared by the coalition’s Telehealth Work Group led by Mayo Clinic and MITRE, with team members from the American Medical Association, American Telemedicine Association, Change Healthcare, Digital Medicine Society, Massachusetts Health Quality Partners, MassChallenge HealthTech, Savvy Cooperative, and The Mighty, and builds upon a previous survey of physicians.
Topline findings show strong patient support for telehealth, including:
- 78% felt their health concern could be addressed via telehealth
- 78% said they received telehealth service from their own provider
- 76% indicated that telehealth removed transportation as a barrier
- 79% reported they found it easy to use the technology
- 83% felt patient-physician communication was strong
- 79% said they were satisfied with their telehealth visit
- 83% reported good overall visit quality
The patient survey is a follow-up to a provider survey released last fall.
“It’s really encouraging to see that the high satisfaction scores are consistent across age ranges, insurance type, and regardless of whether the patient lives in an urban, suburban, or rural location,” said Steve Ommen, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Center for Connected Care and one of the study’s co-investigators. “The experience with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic has opened everyone’s eyes as the potential to deliver healthcare in much more safe and convenient ways. I think that years from now, we will point to 2020 as the year that the potential of digital care delivery became a reality, as long as the regulatory and reimbursement environment is conducive to its growth.”
Dr. John Halamka, president of the Mayo Clinic Platform and co-chair of the coalition, said, “When asked what they would have done during COVID-19 if they didn’t have telehealth access, more than 50% of respondents said they would delay their care. This had been a large problem across the country over the past year and is a strong argument for expanding telehealth services.”
Dr. Jay Schnitzer, MITRE’s chief medical and technology officer and co-chair of the coalition, added, “Both physicians and patients overwhelmingly agree that telehealth is one byproduct of the pandemic that can and should continue on in the ‘next normal.’ COVID-19 has highlighted how our healthcare system needs more tools to serve patients safely and conveniently, and telehealth, when done right, has firmly established itself as an effective option in the patient-care toolbox of today and the future.”
Barbra G. Rabson, MHQP president and CEO, said, “These findings are consistent with what we are hearing from patients in the surveys MHQP has conducted and bode well for the future of telehealth. While patients report overall that they are quite comfortable using telehealth to access care, particularly patients with chronic conditions, we still have much work to do to improve the technology and training in order to deliver fully on the promise of telehealth for patients of all ages.”
About the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition
The COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition is a private-sector-led response to the COVID-19 pandemic that brings together healthcare organizations, technology firms, nonprofits, academia, and startups. It coordinates members’ collective expertise, capabilities, data, and insights to preserve the healthcare delivery system and help protect U.S. populations. Learn more at https://C19HCC.org.