News: Telehealth visits up 30% in June 2020, poll shows

A national poll on healthy aging by the University of Michigan found that the percentage of older adults who had participated in telehealth visits rose from 4% in May 2019 up to 30% in June 2020. Patients in the poll still considered in-office visits more effective, and many of them had no choice but to see their doctor via telehealth, HealthLeaders reported.

Nearly half of those who had a telehealth visit said their healthcare provider canceled or rescheduled an in-person visit between March and June, and 30% said that a virtual visit was the only option when they called to schedule an appointment.

In 2019, nearly half of all respondents expressed concerns about privacy during a telehealth visit. In 2020, that number had fallen by nearly half (from 49% in 2019 to 24% in 2020). Access to telehealth services is also increasing, with 62% of respondents now saying that at least one of their health providers offer telehealth visits, up from 14% in 2019.

Among those who had a telehealth visit this past spring, 91% said it was easy to connect with their doctor. More people (64%) also said they feel very or somewhat comfortable with video conferencing technologies, up from 53% in 2019, reported HealthLeaders.

Despite their growing ease with and use of telehealth, there was almost no change between last year's and this year's poll in the percentage of respondents who said they would feel comfortable seeing a provider for the first time via a virtual visit. That number remained relatively low at about 33%. Similarly, the percentage (about 66%) of people who felt that the quality of care in a telehealth visit was not as good remained unchanged between 2019 and 2020.

Despite a preference for in-person visits, especially for a first visit, more older adults are interested in using telehealth to connect with a provider they had seen before: 72% in 2020, up from 58% in 2019. A greater percentage (63%) also say they're interested in using telehealth for a one-time follow-up appointment after a procedure or operation than in 2019 (55%).

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in HealthLeaders. The full poll can be found here. To learn more about CDI’s involvement with telehealth record reviews, click here.