Telehealth Going Forward: More Measured, and Featuring Primary Care, Behavioral Health and Chronic Care

By Clive Riddle, September 10, 2021

The Center for Connected Medicine has just released a new report conducted in partnership with KLAS Research:  The Intersection of Value and Telehealth: Survey Findings on Adoption and Utilization, which tells us that “more than a year after many hospitals ended their COVID-19 shutdown of non-emergency care, the use of telehealth for patient visits is leveling off at 20% or less of all appointments.”

The study also found that “more than 80% of survey respondents said one-fifth or less of their organizations’ appointments were being conducted virtually….and of the small number of hospitals and health systems reporting 30% or more of patient volume as virtual, many said they expected that number to decline as the pandemic wanes.”

A previous CCM/KLAS report found 77% of organizations were measuring and analyzing use of telehealth by patients, while “the new survey found 92% reported measuring and analyzing at least one metric” and “about a quarter of respondents reported measuring health outcomes for patients using telehealth in the latest survey, up from 12% who said they were doing so in the 2020 report.”

Here are seven takeaways from their report’s key findings: 

• There are now fewer telehealth appointments as a percent of total appointments compared to earlier in the pandemic
• Primary care and behavioral/mental health are the service areas most likely to be using virtual care.
• Chronic care management is the service area most likely to be expanded in the future.
• The number of health systems measuring telehealth usage and patient satisfaction has increased
• The top two barriers to advancing telehealth are patient access to technology/broadband and uncertainty around future reimbursement levels.
• One-fourth of respondents reported gaps in telehealth integration with their electronic health record system
• Patient portals and digital front door solutions are the most commonly cited means by which patients access telehealth services.