Telemedicine is becoming increasingly commonplace in healthcare, but consumer familiarity may still have a ways to go. A HealthMine survey of 500 insured consumers who use mobile health applications found 39 percent had not heard of telemedicine.
Here are five key points from the survey.
1. For the respondents who had heard of telemedicine and had access, 55 percent have used it.
2. Of the respondents that reported using telemedicine, 93 percent said the service resulted in lowered healthcare costs.
3. Just a third of respondents said their health plan offers telemedicine as an option.
4. For those who had not used telemedicine, 42 percent said they preferred an in-person visit with a physician.
5. Consumers would consider using telemedicine for the following reasons:
• Follow-up care for an acute illness: 44 percent
• Symptom tracking/diagnosis: 44 percent
• Medication management: 44 percent
• Follow-up care for a chronic condition: 34 percent
• Remote vitals monitoring: 31 percent
• Behavioral health: 24 percent
• Nothing: 11 percent
• Other: 1 percent