New Study Suggests Provider Attitudes Tied to Telehealth Utilization

Sarasota, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) – While most folks believe telehealth is a new idea, the concept was actually first mentioned in 1879 in a Lancet article as a way to reduce unnecessary office visits. In the 1920’s physicians were diagnosing patients using the radio. In the 1950’s the University Of Nebraska used two-way interactive video to share neurological exams with medical students.

Multiple statics have shown that the number of telehealth claims increased dramatically during the pandemic. It could be said that telemedicine earned its stripes during the pandemic, however some recent statistics have shown the use leveling off to below 20 percent of visits in the post pandemic period.

While studies have shown a decrease in mortality rates and hospital stays using telemedicine, some data has shown that 25 percent of telehealth medical malpractice claims are from a misdiagnosis of cancer, and 20 percent each from misdiagnosis of stroke and infections. Aside from technology concerns, providers have given misdiagnosis and quality of care as some of their top concerns.

Researchers from the VA Boston Healthcare System posed the question of whether clinician beliefs toward telehealth have a direct impact on its utilization. From August to September last year, the researchers issued a voluntary survey to mental health, primary care, and specialty care providers in the Department of Veterans Affairs New England Healthcare System. The survey included 32 questions asking about the clinician’s view on quality of video, phone and in person care, factors contributing to their modality choices, and their preferences when treating new and established patients.

Of the 866 survey respondents, 52 reported no telehealth use in the 3 previous months. Of the remaining 814, 49.5 percent were mental providers, 18.8 percent were primary care, and 31.7 percent were specialists.

Mental health providers favored video care more than primary care providers and specialists. In fact, mental health providers were more likely to choose a video visit over an in person visit with masks and phone calls for new and established patients.

Primary care providers and specialists were more likely to endorse the challenges of video visits, including the inability to conduct a physical exam and patient barriers. Of the same provider category, 36.2 percent of primary care and 28.4 percent of specialists had no preference on the manner of visit, although all specialties cited patient preference as a major factor. For telehealth via phone, 28.3 percent of primary care and 32.2 percent of specialists preferred a phone call for established patients.  

The findings supported the utilization rates within the healthcare system. For mental health, 40.3 percent of their encounters occurred by video. Only 3.9 percent of primary care visits, and 4.9 percent of specialists visits occurred by video.

Overall, the researchers concluded that clinician attitudes towards telehealth and its ease of use were directly associated with the utilization rates. The researchers believe that the use of telehealth could be impacted by additional data on its effectiveness, and by improvement in video telehealth workflows.

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