Surveys going back 20 years have consistently found that more than 100 million Americans search online for health information annually. Google reports there are roughly 70,000 health related searches every minute. One article even claimed doctors use Google and YouTube to learn about disease and conditions they treat.
Category: Telemedicine
What Patients See in the Background of a Telemedicine Visit Matters Too
Americans have gotten used to seeing their doctors and other health care providers using telehealth video visits in the past four years. But a new study reveals that what a doctor has behind them during a telehealth visit can make a difference in how the patient feels about them and their care.
New Uses for Telemedicine are Taking America by Storm
The decade that began with Covid is the decade of telemedicine, and we’re not even halfway through the 2020s. One outcome of Covid is that more and more people became comfortable talking to a doctor on the phone. Also, more health plans and Medicare began to accept telemedicine as a normal way to consulting with physicians. Prior to Covid, Medicare did not reimburse telemedicine in most cases. Beginning March 6, 2020 the Trump administration announced telehealth services would be available to seniors across the country.
What difference Has Telemedicine Made?
In 2020, Medicare patients receiving care at health systems in the highest quartile of telemedicine use had 2.5 telemedicine visits per person, compared with 0.7 telemedicine visits per person in the lowest quartile of telemedicine use.
Source: Edited from “Medicare Utilization, Spending, And Quality, 2019–22” in Health Affairs.