Telehealth use continues to increase. The results of the 4th edition of J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study revealed that a rising percentage of consumers are choosing telehealth over in-person consultations for a diverse range of routine checkups, including prescription renewals, medication reviews, consultations about medical outcomes and much more.
To enhance patient outcomes, fair access, and treatment quality that supplements in-person care, it will be critical to regularly assess which aspects of telehealth are functioning well and which require further improvement. Some of the study’s significant findings include: About 67% of survey participants had been using video telehealth services within the past year, rising from 37% before the pandemic in 2019; and more than 90% of telehealth clients said they would use this platform in the future to get healthcare services. Of patients who have used telehealth in the last year, 80% prefer telemedicine for prescription renewals, 72% prefer telehealth for medicine reviewing, and 71% prefer the service for discussing test findings; more than 50% of patients choose telemedicine for routine mental health care appointments.
The top three reasons for opting for telehealth are convenience (61%), the possibility of receiving healthcare promptly (49%), and the ease of access to health-related data (28%).
The Telehealth Satisfaction Study analyzed consumer satisfaction with telehealth service experience by focusing on four criteria: customer service (42%), consultation (28%), enrollment (19%), and billing and payment (11%). The survey was based on the views of 4,306 healthcare consumers who employed telehealth services in the preceding year.
This type of information is especially important at this time, as many state governments are looking to shut down many of the laws and regulations that were relaxed during the pandemic emergency. Without action at the state or federal level, many U.S. consumers may lose access to the telehealth services that they have grown to rely on and prefer.
