“Following the current pandemic, telehealth will no longer be a ‘plus’ or ‘nice to have’ for practices — it will become a requirement to stay in business.”
DUBLIN, Ohio (PRWEB)
May 21, 2020
After The World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, U.S. healthcare providers nationwide began implementing telehealth solutions in order to continue seeing patients despite lockdowns and stay at home orders. According to a new survey from Updox, the place for virtual care and complete healthcare communications, conducted online by The Harris Poll among more than 2,000 U.S. adults aged 18+, nearly half of Americans (42%) have reported using telehealth services since the pandemic first began. The survey shines light on consumer preferences of telehealth both now and post-COVID.
Of patients who like using telehealth services, 65% say it’s because telehealth visits are more convenient than in-office appointments, and 63% say it’s because they don’t have to worry about being exposed to other potentially sick patients. Americans who like using telehealth services also like it because it’s easier to schedule an appointment via telehealth than an in-office appt (44%), and because follow-ups/communications post-appointment are more streamlined (38%).
“Following the current pandemic, telehealth will no longer be a ‘plus’ or ‘nice to have’ for practices — it will become a requirement to stay in business. Virtual care and contactless offices will transform the way healthcare is provided, in response to both provider and patient concerns and preferences,” said Michael Morgan, CEO, Updox. “Today’s healthcare providers are seeking modern, impactful ways to maximize patient engagement, improve outcomes and enable more timely, efficient connections between patients and their trusted physicians. The experience must be consistent whether the visit is virtual or in office. Consumers have spoken to say this will be an expectation post-COVID.”
Additional findings from the survey include:
- Around half of Americans say that if they were to use telehealth services post COVID-19, convenience (51%) and being able to see or speak with a healthcare professional of their choice – rather than using someone assigned to them (49%) – would be among the most important to them
- More than a quarter of Americans (26%) and 30% of those aged 55+ say not having to download any special apps or programs would be important to them when thinking about the use of telehealth post COVID-19
- Among those who like using telehealth services, women are more likely than men to say they like telehealth due to not having to worry about being exposed to other potentially sick patients (72% vs. 54%), while men are more likely than women to state they like telehealth due to it being more cost-effective (41% vs. 28%)
Updox recently experienced a significant spike in demand for its HIPAA-compliant telehealth solution, Updox Video Chat. In March the company onboarded more than 10,000 new customer users to the solution in just two weeks. As a result, the company is now helping to facilitate more than 45,000 telehealth visits per day between patients and their doctors, with that number increasing rapidly.
“Updox has been widely adopted because we enable patients to easily connect with their own doctor with no apps or downloads required – which are key factors for many Americans, according to the survey,” added Morgan. “For physicians, Updox is key because they are able to manage all communications in one place. In today’s healthcare environment, practices must adopt solutions that are all-encompassing, especially as we evolve into a full virtual care environment.”
To learn more about Updox’s solutions for healthcare providers – including Video Chat – please visit http://www.updox.com/healthcare-crm.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Updox from May 12 – 14, 2020 among 2,067 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,293 like using telehealth services. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected].
About Updox:
The place for virtual care and complete healthcare communications, Updox offers one consolidated inbox for healthcare providers to manage patient journey products and office productivity. Updox provides a broad set of capabilities for virtual health, patient engagement, and paperless office efficiency that work together in a secure, easy-to-use collaboration platform. Updox customers also benefit from an engaged user community for benchmarking, idea exchange and networking. Learn how we simplify the business of healthcare. Visit http://www.updox.com or follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
