Telehealth supply now outweighs demand: 5 report findings

Although the use of telehealth skyrocketed during the pandemic, it has more recently declined as the option to go back to in-person appointments is back in the cards. A February 2022 report from healthcare analytics company Trilliant Health suggests telehealth may just be a placeholder for in-person visits.

Five things to know:

  1. In 2020, around 38 million Americans completed 114 million telehealth visits. However, in 2021, 30 million Americans generated 106 million visits, indicating a tapering of usage.

  2. The relationship between telehealth and in-person visits is inverse, with a drop in in-person visits causing a spike in telehealth visits. However, telehealth isn't making up for all the lost in-person visits.

  3. Patients are seeking hybrid care that has both in-person as well as virtual elements.

  4. Most telehealth patients only have a few visits, with 46 percent of patients using it only once and 34 percent having between one and four virtual visits between 2020 and 2021. 

  5. Nearly two years into the pandemic, only a quarter of Americans have used telehealth services. The report concludes that telehealth supply far outweighs the current consumer demand.

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars