Rates of follow-up appointments in physicians offices have remained steady over the past three years, but follow-ups after telehealth appointments are slightly more likely, according to a report published Jan. 9 by Epic Research.
Research teams working for the EHR giant gathered information from follow-up visits in the same speciality at 7, 30, and 90 days, and compared likelihood of follow-up after a telehealth vs. in-office appointment. This research builds off a previous study that found higher follow-up rates from an in-office visit at 90 days.
The teams found that, from January 2020 to August 2023, the follow-up rate for both modes of appointment was below 10% at 7 days, below 25% at 30 days, and below 40% at 90 days. There is a slight overall gap that favors follow-ups after a telehealth appointment, but it is very small.
Researchers also found that certain specialties were more likely to draw follow-ups from in-office vs. telehealth. Patients who received in-office consultation were more likely to follow-up when they went to physical medicine and rehabilitation, pain medicine and mental health specialists. Patients who were treated via telehealth were more likely to follow up when they visited with an OB/GYN, podiatrist or primary care physician.