Dive Brief:
- A new survey co-conducted by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and Anthem's Robert Graham Center found 90% of physicians would use telemedicine providing they were reimbursed for their services.
- Additional problems reported in the survey include credential and license barriers, lack of training, and an absence of guidelines and measurable outcomes as detractors of telehealth implementation.
- Physicians who do use telehealth said they would like a national standard to assure telemedicine is meeting current standards of quality and access.
Dive Insight:
The survey of 1,557 randomly chosen physicians included 30 questions related to physicians' attitudes and opinions of telehealth, including usage and barriers. Almost all participants agreed telehealth is better than not seeing a physician, but in-office visits ranked as the best type of care. Most physicians said they believe telehealth won't gain traction until the barriers are addressed.
Additional survey findings showed physicians in rural areas are more likely (29%) to use telemedicine than those in urban areas (11%) and those who use such services are younger physicians in practice less than 10 years. John Jesser, vice president of provider engagement at Anthem, said in a press statement, "The survey results proved to us that family physicians are open-minded and optimistic about the benefits of telehealth."
The U.S. telehealth market is estimated to hit $2.8 billion by 2022, as stated in a report by Grand View Research Inc.