As the nation moves beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid changes to the healthcare industry brought about by the pandemic are here to stay. Early in the pandemic states and the federal government moved quickly to enact public health emergency orders to allow patients to get the care when and where they needed it. These changes included the ability to form a patient-provider relationship remotely, delivering care synchronously or asynchronously, and expanding the types of medication that could be prescribed remotely. It is clear that Americans are continuing to use telehealth and support changes to allow for greater flexibility and ease of access.
Hims & Hers recently completed our third annual survey on the state of telehealth in the country. Working again with nationally renowned polling firm Public Opinion Strategies, we asked 1,000 American adults in detail about their opinions on accessing healthcare and what could be done to improve care. The survey respondents reflect the demographics of the U.S. population, and we’re sharing the results below.
Telehealth Utilization is Here to Stay
More than half (55%) of respondents have had a telehealth visit, holding flat from 2022, and up from 10% in June 2019, 29% in April 2020, 43% in August 2020 and 51% in February 2021. While brick-and-mortar medical offices have allowed more in-person visits, patients and providers are choosing to have medical interactions over telehealth through video, secure chat or phone. Satisfaction with telehealth visits remains high; nearly all (86%) of those who have used telehealth say they were satisfied with their most recent visit. An overwhelming majority of respondents (84%) believe that telehealth will be a regular part of how many Americans receive health care in the future — including 80% of respondents who have not used telehealth before.
Cost and Access Still Top Concerns
The cost of health care remains the most pressing health care issue to Americans. Fully 70%+ say reducing health care costs is among their top two most important issues when it comes to health care. This is up sharply from 52% two years ago. Further, nearly 4-in-10 Americans report they or someone in their family has delayed care because of the cost of care.
Access to medical care remains a critical issue with nearly six out of ten respondents (58%) saying access to medical care is a problem where they live. Among underserved patient populations this percentage is even higher: Hispanic Americans (81%), Rural Americans (67%), and Black Americans (64%).
Access to mental health services continues to be viewed as critical by many. Americans continue to recognize the gravity of the mental health situation in our country: fully 47% know someone who would benefit from receiving counseling or therapy from a mental or behavioral health professional but who is not currently receiving that care. Nearly all (96%) of respondents believe mental health issues are a very serious or somewhat serious problem.
Benefits of Access Care Through Telehealth
Receiving care when, where, and how it works the best for patients clearly has upside. Large majorities of telehealth users indicate that using telehealth has kept them from missing time at work (68% of telehealth users); and has kept them from skipping or delaying care (61% of telehealth users) compared to if they had seen a doctor in-person instead.
Policy Changes
With the significant increase in telehealth utilization during the pandemic and beyond, many states have taken action to update their telehealth laws and regulations. A recent research paper by a group of policy think tanks evaluated telehealth policy and regulatory landscape in all 50 states. The report scores each state’s telehealth innovation in four key areas that are crucial to patients, quality of care, and creating a regulatory environment that embraces future healthcare improvements. While many states allow providers and patients to form a relationship remotely and provide care asynchronously, it is clear policy updates are needed.
There is strong public opinion support for updating telehealth laws. More than two-thirds of Americans (67%) support legislation to expand patient access to asynchronous telehealth options (i.e. non-real time exchanges via a secure online portal). That support for asynchronous telehealth is widespread. Majorities of Republicans (60%) and Democrats (70%) support this legislation. Hispanic Adults (65%), Black Adults (65%) and parents (78%) all express strong levels of support for legislation to expand asynchronous telehealth. Healthcare workers are among the strongest supporters (82% total support, 51% strongly support).
Meeting Patients Where They’re At
Embracing telehealth has the potential to drive down costs for patients while increasing access to healthcare — addressing the top concerns respondents identified. Telehealth allows providers to see more patients and reduce no-shows. Patients can save time avoiding traveling to an office and see specialists more easily.
People want to receive care in the way that works best for them; over the past few years, more and more what people want is a combination of telehealth support via synchronous real-time video consultation and asynchronous interactions between providers and patients. Telehealth, both synchronous and asynchronous, can help address some of the provider shortage, mental health crises and cost concerns. Based on this representative survey, Americans want to be in control of their care and would like to see legislators embrace this healthcare modality.
At Hims & Hers, our mission is to help all people get the best care possible so they can feel good through the power of better health. We’ve built quality and safety into the care processes from the very beginning, allowing hundreds of world-class, board-certified health care providers from across the nation to connect with people seeking care in a convenient way without sacrificing on our commitment to clinical excellence. Our dedicated security team, adherence to applicable privacy laws, and commitment to best privacy practices provides peace of mind to both patients and providers on the platform. While we continue to evolve to meet customer needs, we are also advocating for policy solutions that will allow more Americans to get the care they need, when and where they want.
