With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many people to shelter in place, a growing number of patients are concerned about getting their healthcare needs addressed safely. It comes as no surprise that safety concerns regarding in-person visits with their physician have led to an increased demand for telehealth services and virtual access options.
Based on a recent survey by Sage Growth Partners and Black Book Market Research, 27% of respondents feel unsafe going to the doctors office, and another 16% are unsure. Urgent care visits are no less appealing to patients, with 31% of respondents feeling unsafe, and 21% unsure. Even worse, for hospital visits, 33% feel unsafe with another 24% that are not sure.
As if patients’ fears and uncertainties aren’t good enough reasons why physicians should consider telemedicine technology for their practice, a whopping 36% of people said that they would actually leave their current physician in order to have access to virtual care. Combining that with the statistic that only 44% of people say that telehealth services are available to them, and that means that over 20% of people could be shifting providers just to get the telehealth services they seek.
Thankfully, most physicians can modernize their practice and offer virtual care services for their patients with just a few clicks and little to no alteration to their existing workflows. The best part is, it’s even free to get started.
For the practitioners that think telemedicine is just a coronavirus trend, think again as more and more data is showing that it’s here to stay.
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