Why Employers and Patients Are Turning to Virtual-First Healthcare to Control Rising Costs
Healthcare costs are rising rapidly—businesses are grappling with budget pressures, and employees are feeling the strain. As we navigate a post-pandemic, remote-first world, virtual care has emerged as a critical strategy for reducing costs, improving access, and delivering high-quality experiences. Here are the most up-to-date statistics demonstrating why virtual care (like Recuro’s) is transforming care delivery for both patients and employers.
Here are some of the top statistics to know about today’s healthcare system and virtual care in the United States:
Escalating Expenses
- 01 U.S. employer healthcare costs are expected to rise by nearly 8% by the end of 2025 — the sharpest increase seen in over a decade. [Source]
- 02 Employers anticipate healthcare spending increases of 7%–8% next year, emphasizing the urgent need for cost-management strategies. [Source]
- 03 A recent employer survey revealed that 95% plan to enhance affordability through virtual medical and mental health services. [Source]
- 04 Managing benefits costs tops the list of priorities for 94% of employers in the coming years. [Source]
- 05 55% of employers believe that virtual care will help reduce healthcare expenses within the next 3 to 5 years. [Source]
- 06 71% of employers are gearing up for moderate to significant hikes in healthcare costs in the upcoming years. [Source]
Virtual Means Quality and Savings
- 07 Patients expressed high satisfaction with virtual care, citing longer visits that led to better quality care, clear communication, and effective resolution of their medical concerns. [Source]
- 08 94% of participants in a JD Power survey who used virtual care plan to use it again. [Source]
- 09 Telehealth visits can generate mean total cost savings of approximately $147 to $186 per visit. [Source]
- 10 Telehealth also helps reduce lost productivity, with estimated savings of around $64 per visit (broken down into $45 from driving time and $18 from visit time).[Source]
- 11 Over 80% of physicians in an American Medical Association survey reported that telehealth has improved patient access to care. [Source]
- 12 A recent study found that physicians believe telemedicine enhances patient access by offering greater convenience, more time for counseling, better medication reconciliation, and the ability to assess home environments and connect with families. [Source]
- 13 Virtual care provides multiple touchpoints throughout a patient’s healthcare journey, enabling doctors to achieve better quality outcomes through more frequent interactions. [Source]
- 14 A study revealed that using virtual care instead of in-person care reduced patients’ healthcare costs by 61%. [Source]
- 15 Another study found that in 13 out of 16 quality measures, patients using virtual care performed as well as or better than those receiving only in-office care. [Source]
Care Affordability
- 16 Emergency Room (ER) visits are, on average, 12 times more expensive than visits to a doctor’s office. [Source]
- 17 Each year, ER visits result in more than $32 billion in wasted healthcare spending. [Source]
- 18 Avoidable ER visits cost the healthcare system at least $47 billion annually, which equates to about $140 per person in the U.S., according to a recent report. [Source]
- 19 Approximately 30% of ER visits by individuals with chronic conditions could potentially be avoided. [Source]
- 20 Employees with chronic illnesses cost employers $530 billion annually in lost productivity or absenteeism. [Source]
Care Accessibility
- 21 Nearly 60% of Americans either don’t have or don’t regularly see a primary care physician (PCP). [Source]
- 22 40% of Americans have postponed or skipped medical care due to the cost. [Source]
- 23 Without regular healthcare checkups, the likelihood of needing expensive care increases, and 40% of Americans don’t have $400 available for unexpected medical emergencies. [Source]
- 24 Patients are waiting an average of 31 days to see a primary care physician in-person. [Source]
- 25 Even with a brick-and-mortar appointment, patients wait nearly 20-30 minutes in a waiting room to see their doctor. [Source]
- 26 It takes patients 5 to 6 weeks on average to get an appointment with a mental health professional. [Source]
- 27 The fee-for-service model in many doctors’ offices limits the time a PCP can spend with each patient, as they are incentivized to see as many patients as possible in a day. [Source]
- 28 25% of Americans live in areas designated as primary care health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). [Source]
- 29 The National Council for Behavioral Health reports that 77% of U.S. counties face a severe shortage of mental health providers, a situation expected to worsen. [Source]
- 30 A Kaiser Family Foundation state indicator report has found that almost one-third of the U.S. population lives in a Primary Care Health Provider Shortage Area (HPSA). [Source]
How Recuro Can Help
Recuro is a leading virtual-first care delivery company offering a personalized, holistic, and proactive approach to healthcare. Recuro provides seamless access to various virtual care services, including primary and urgent care, behavioral health, at-home lab testing, and genomics testing. Additionally, Recuro provides a comprehensive suite of supplemental benefits, integrated prescriptions, care management, and care navigation, all available on a unified platform. For more information about out virtual-first solutions, or to schedule a demo – visit our Contact Us page!
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