Telemedicine and telehealth services, in which medical visits are conducted via software on a secure videoconferencing platform, can help increase provider efficiency while providing a convenient service to patients.
To learn how providers can use this technology to better serve patients, Software Advice conducted a survey gauging public interest in virtual medical visits as a tool for diagnosing and treating minor illnesses.
Key Findings:
- Among patients who have not used a telemedicine service, 75 percent express interest in using one in lieu of an in-person medical visit.
- Only 16 percent of patients would prefer to seek care for a minor ailment at an emergency room (ER) if they also had access to telemedical services.
- Only 2 percent of telemedicine users surveyed say security is their main concern with the telemedical system used.
- Twenty-one percent of patients who have engaged in a telemedicine visit say the quality of care was similar to or higher than an in-person visit.
- Over half of patients (56 percent) don’t know if their health insurance covers visits conducted using telemedicine.
