ONC: Majority of Office-Based Physicians Used Telehealth in 2021

March 15, 2023 - A report from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology found that telehealth use grew noticeably over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, with high rates of not only provider adoption but also satisfaction.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it became apparent that telehealth was an effective method for providing and receiving care. However, as the severity of the public health emergency diminished, questions surrounding telehealth and its continued use arose.

In this report, researchers presented information regarding telehealth use among office-based physicians in 2021, along with how it compares to in-person care, the types of specialties it was most often used in, satisfaction levels, and common patient barriers. Researchers assessed the results of the National Electronic Health Record Survey in 2018, 2019, and 2021.

First, the report noted that telehealth use among office-based physicians grew almost six-fold, rising from 15 percent in 2018 and 2019 to 87 percent in 2021.

However, the share of physicians that used telehealth to conduct less than 25 percent of patient visits was over 50 percent. In comparison, the proportion that used telehealth to conduct more than half of patient visits did not exceed 20 percent. The report also noted that despite the increase in telehealth use, in-person care was the main mode of care delivery for most office-based physicians.

Further, the report noted that primary care physicians, larger practice groups, and those employed by medical and community health centers and payers/HMOs were more likely to use telehealth tools compared to surgical specialists, smaller practices, and those employed by physician groups.

Patients involved in payment models such as accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes were also more likely to use telehealth.

But physicians' use of telehealth was impacted by patient-facing barriers. The most common barriers mentioned in the report related to patients facing challenges in using technology and lacking access to technology, with over two out of three physicians citing these as hurdles. Other difficulties included limited internet access and speed issues, the appropriateness of telehealth for their practice, and telehealth platforms being hard to use. 

Researchers also emphasized a noticeable correlation between the utilization of telehealth tools and provider satisfaction levels. More specifically, 93 percent of those who used telehealth platforms, both integrated and not integrated with their EHR, 76 of physicians who used an EHR-integrated telehealth platform, and 79 percent of those who used a non-integrated telehealth platform reported that telehealth enabled them to provide similar care quality to in-person visits.

Further, a majority of physicians using EHR-integrated and non-integrated telehealth platforms were more satisfied with using telemedicine than those without any platform.

In conclusion, the report highlighted the ongoing need to monitor telehealth use and its impact on care delivery.

"Ensuring physicians have suitable telemedicine technology, and patients have and can use the requisite technology to communicate with their physician is important for appropriate care delivery," the report states.

Research on telehealth use across populations is growing. A study published last May found that willingness to use telehealth among older adults in 2022 was similar to rates in 2020. 

Conducted by AARP, the study found that 21 percent of adults 50 and older used telehealth in March 2020. According to a survey in 2022, 51 percent of adults indicated that either they or a family member used telehealth within the prior two years.

The study also shows that 30 percent of older adults in 2020 and 32 percent in 2022 stated their interest in using telehealth for themselves or loved ones.