Telehealth isn’t as broadly utilized because it was on the daybreak of the pandemic, however the care modality is certainly right here to remain. Nonetheless, many suppliers consider their telehealth program will increase the workload for nurses and help workers, in accordance with a current report from analysis agency Sage Progress Companions. Suppliers additionally stated they don’t suppose physicians take pleasure in utilizing telehealth visits to deal with sufferers.
In 2023, hospitals and doctor practices should concentrate on making their telehealth workflows extra environment friendly, which can contain partnering with third-party directors, the report stated.
For the report, Sage Progress Companions surveyed 95 well being system executives and 75 leaders of doctor practices in September. Practices with fewer than 5 physicians had been excluded from the survey.
Most respondents stated that their organizations will concentrate on optimizing and sustaining their present telehealth packages in 2023 reasonably than increasing them. In actual fact, solely about 10% of contributors — 11% of hospitals and eight% of practices — stated they need to develop their telehealth choices subsequent 12 months.
Well being system executives had been extra seemingly than follow leaders to say that telehealth visits ought to make up the next share of their splendid in-person-to-telehealth go to combine. Well being system leaders stated the combo ought to be 30% telehealth and 70% workplace. Amongst follow leaders, the perfect combine appears extra like 20% and 80%.
Their distinction of opinion additionally prolonged to a different query on how they suppose telehealth utilization will develop by go to sort over the subsequent two years.
Well being system leaders stated that utilization will fall barely for many go to sorts — even behavioral well being. They stated that 36% of behavioral well being visits had been delivered through telehealth in September, however they anticipate this to fall to 33% in September 2024. Pressing care and telepathology had been the 2 go to sorts for which well being methods leaders predicted telehealth development — they anticipate telehealth utilization to extend from 3% to 7% for pressing care and from 2% to 4% for telepathology.
Observe leaders anticipated telehealth utilization to extend barely or stay the identical for many go to sorts. Specialty care was the one exception — for this go to sort, follow leaders predicted utilization to fall from 23% to twenty% over the subsequent two years.
Each teams agreed that telehealth truly will increase burden on workers although follow leaders appear to really feel it extra acutely.
Greater than half of follow leaders stated telehealth has elevated help workers’s workload, and 28% stated it generates extra work for nurses. Amongst well being system executives, 35% stated telehealth elevated help workers’s workload, and 30% stated it creates extra work for nurses.
Moreover, lower than half of complete respondents (46% of hospitals and 47% of practices) agreed that telehealth will increase doctor satisfaction and physicians like utilizing telehealth visits to deal with sufferers.
A key purpose for that is that many suppliers are working their telehealth packages utilizing inefficient workflows, in accordance with the report. Practically 60% of survey respondents stated they haven’t but created new workflows for telehealth visits. As a substitute, hospitals and doctor practices are nonetheless counting on workflows that mirror in-person visits.
In 2023, suppliers might want to enhance these workflows, and lots of will take into account bringing on the assistance of third-party telehealth directors, similar to Amwell or Caregility, the report stated.
Hospitals are greater than twice as seemingly to make use of third-party companions to manage telehealth providers — with 20% of hospitals doing this in comparison with 9% of practices. Hospitals had been additionally extra prone to say they might change their telehealth administering get together over the subsequent two years — with 44% of hospitals saying this in comparison with 25% of practices.
Picture: Anastasia Usenko, Getty Pictures
