Nearly nine out of 10 family physicians say they would use telehealth to assist in treating their patients if they were compensated for it, according to a survey conducted by the Robert Graham Center for Anthem and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Titled “A First Look at Attitudes Surrounding Telehealth,” the report focuses on physician attitudes about telehealth, the patient services for which telehealth is most used and the hurdles that impede greater adoption of the technology. Its findings are based on 1,557 family physicians’ responses to a mail survey on beliefs, attitudes and use of telehealth in patient care.
“Telehealth is one of several important technologies highlighted by clinicians and policy makers as a potential strategy to enhance access to primary care and reduce costs, and yet its adoption in primary care has been little studied,” said Dr. Andrew Bazemore, director of the Robert Graham Center.
Of family physicians who do use telehealth, 49% reported using real-time video in the past 12 months.The survey has found several barriers family physicians face for adopting telehealth services, such as telecommunication training, platforms, reimbursement, and licensing. Most of the family physicians surveyed still feel that their patients may prefer to see their doctor face-to-face, but three in four recognize that telehealth is a way to improve access to care for their patients.
About 15 percent of those who responded to the survey said they used telehealth in their practices. Of those who do use telehealth, 49 percent reported using real-time video in the past 12 months. Also those relying on telehealth used it for diagnoses or treatment (55%), chronic disease management (26%), second opinion (20%), follow-up (21%), emergency care (16%), administrative purposes (6%) and for other reasons (13%).
Family physicians who have practiced less than 10 years and those who practiced in rural settings were more likely to use telehealth, according to the survey results. Unsurprisingly, those who had used telehealth responded more positively to survey questions on its attributes.