Telehealth trends from Greenway clients: It’s not going anywhere

When it comes to telehealth adoption, “the genie is out of the bottle,” Seema Verma, then-Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), said in mid-2020. In the months since, as the global health situation has evolved, so have the nuances and preferences of healthcare providers using telehealth. What is clear is that they are interested in continuing to use telehealth beyond the pandemic.

When Greenway surveyed 50 clients in mid-August, 2021, via our Greenway Champions platform, their responses on telehealth use told a similar story. Telehealth has helped clients manage COVID-19 visits and has become more prevalent to include behavioral health visits, prescription refills, and beyond. What’s more, no one is planning on decreasing their telehealth use.

Telehealth practitioner survey data shows how healthcare providers from numerous specialties use virtual care, how they see telehealth use evolving beyond the pandemic, and which features and functionalities they value the most. Let’s examine how they responded to several key questions.

How is telehealth used in healthcare … and how often?

Of Greenway clients surveyed, 96% said they use telehealth in some capacity. These results are in keeping with the findings of other healthcare industry studies. For example, a study by Definitive Healthcare, a healthcare commercial intelligence firm, found that 94% of practices had implemented telehealth in response to COVID-19, compared with 5% of practices that had implemented telehealth prior to the pandemic.

Greenway clients, as with other practices across the country, are up and running with telehealth, and are comfortable using it as part of their patient care routine.   

Greenway clients from a variety of specialties indicated interest in using telehealth for situations that do not require an in-person visit.

• 39 of 50 respondents said they use telehealth for 25% or less of all current visits. These respondents run the gamut of specialties and practice sizes.
• Meanwhile, 10% of respondents use telehealth for one-fourth to just under half of all visits. Again, respondents represent a wide variety of practice sizes and specialties that have transitioned certain visits to virtual settings.
• An ambitious 4% use telehealth for most of their visits, or 50-74% of them. These two respondents were a two-physician family practice group and a 67-physician multi-specialty provider group respectively. The difference in provider counts suggest practice size does not determine telehealth use.

What are the latest telehealth use trends?

The top cited reason for using telehealth correlates with the reasons behind its initial surge in popularity. “Sick visits when (COVID-19) symptoms are also present” was the most prolific use case, at 27%. In such instances, patients can obtain treatment for COVID-19 while avoiding the risk of infecting others.  

About 27% of respondents, said “other” types of visits comprised their primary use of telehealth. This write-in category overwhelmingly included mental/behavioral health visits but also included intake visits, lab reviews, and various other types of follow-up appointments when an in-person visit was not necessary.

What is the most important feature when adopting a telehealth solution?

A streamlined workflow matters most for telehealth users. Telehealth and EHR functions on separate systems can create an experience that is spotty, limited in terms of productivity, and ultimately, unrewarding for both patient and providers. When asked the most important feature or functionality in a telehealth solution, 40% of respondents noted that a streamlined workflow is most important to them.

The second most important feature or functionality is “knowing my patients’ (and our practice’s) data is protected and secure” at 22% — and a close third at 16% was “integration with my EHR for an easy user experience (less logins and toggling between screens).”

What would encourage the switch to another telehealth platform?

Healthcare professionals are looking for smoother workflows, and they want to toggle less. Among those who currently use telehealth and may be open to switching platforms, most respondents said they would be willing to adopt another platform if it offered an “easier user experience with less toggling between platforms” (30%).

In fact, better experiences and less toggling ranked higher than cost-effectiveness (28%) or easy implementation (18%) as aspects that could convert a user from another telehealth system.

What’s next for the adoption of telehealth?

Stay tuned because telehealth is on track for growth — providers recognize the benefits of virtual care.

When asked if they expected their telehealth use to increase, decrease, or stay the same in response to continued COVID-19 variants, 78% of respondents said they expected their telehealth use to increase to some degree. Only 22% said they expected their telehealth use not to change in response to variants, and none said they believed their use of telehealth would decrease in response to variants.

If you’re concerned the telehealth train has already left the station, let us help! We can ensure you don’t get left behind playing catch-up to meet patient demand … and ensure you don’t miss out on these additional revenue streams. Learn more about Greenway Telehealth™ and its integrated capabilities with Intergy and Prime Suite.

“The Greenway Telehealth platform is the best solution Greenway has developed in all my years as a client,” said Jeanette Christopher, Director of Information Technology for Northwest Primary Care.