Young, Affluent Patients Most Likely To Use Telehealth

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Research shows young patients who don’t have an established relationship with a healthcare provider are most likely to use over-the-phone telemedicine programs

Telemedicine is a growing in part to a lack of primary care providers. According to a new RAND Corporation study, younger more affluent Americans are taking the primary drivers of that growth.

RAND researchers’ findings, published in Health Affairs, show telehealth programs appealed to younger patients who in the last year were unlikely to have used the healthcare system. According to EHR Intelligence, results further showed these patients were less likely to have pre-existing or chronic conditions, were generally more affluent, and also likely to be female.

"Telemedicine services such as the one we studied that directly links physicians and patients via telephone or Internet have the potential to expand access to care and lower costs," said Lori Uscher-Pines, lead author of the study and a policy researcher at RAND in a press release. "However, little is known about how these services are being used and whether they provide good quality care. Our study provides a first step to better understand this growing healthcare trend."

Patients who used the Teladoc telemedicine service saw similar quality and accuracy in diagnosis as those who were seen in an office. Researchers studied 3,701 patient "visits" provided from April 2012 to February 2013 through Teladoc. One-third of the visits took place at times when traditional offices were closed, such as weekends or holidays. Interestingly, only 6 percent of patients who used Teladoc required follow-up visits while 13 percent of those who visited the ER needed a follow-up appointment.

"The people who are attracted to this type of telemedicine may be a more technologically savvy group that has less time to obtain medical care through traditional settings," said Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, a RAND researcher and an associate professor at the Harvard Medical School.

“The RAND study helps quantify the significant value Teladoc brings to the health care delivery system,” said Jason Gorevic, CEO of Teladoc in a statement. “Teladoc clearly improves access to care for consumers who are seeking convenient access to quality care, especially during hours when physicians’ offices are closed, or the only option is an urgent care center or emergency room.”