Telehealth News

Almost 70% of Doctors Prefer Telemedicine Services Over Email

By Vera Gruessner

- Physicians across the nation are slowly moving forward with expanding telemedicine services in order to reduce the need for patient visits for those living in rural areas without direct transportation. Along with allowing doctors a chance to speak securely with their patients about any health problems, telemedicine services also enable providers to remotely monitor patients’ medical conditions.

Telemedicine Services

The latest countrywide survey from QuantiaMD and American Well shows that 57 percent of doctors are interested and willing to operate video visits with patients. Based on a poll of more than 2,000 primary care doctors, the results clearly show that telemedicine services are gaining popularity throughout the healthcare industry.

The survey - called “Telehealth Index: 2015 Physician Survey” – found that nearly 70 percent of physicians find video visits superior to either email or telephone calls when it comes to diagnosing a patient’s health issue.

“There’s a sea change going on within the physician community,” Roy Schoenberg, MD, CEO of American Well, stated in a company press release. “Doctors see value in virtual visits for their patients and also in managing their own work-life balance. We’ve seen weekly physician inquiries about practicing online triple in less than six months.”

Out of the 57 percent of primary care doctors willing to work with patients via video consultations, 86 percent felt that video visits are sufficient for medication management and prescription renewals while 80 percent believe that telemedicine services are applicable for chronic disease management.

Additionally, the survey found that telemedicine services could aid in improving hospital referral patterns. As healthcare technologies continue to evolve and become more robust, telemedicine services will likely expand around the country.

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