Today’s Top 30 Statistics You Need to Know About Telehealth
Healthcare costs continue to rise every year, with more people being diagnosed with serious chronic diseases, putting extra strain on both employers and employees. With today’s remote-centric workforce and post-pandemic needs, digital-first healthcare has become an increasingly popular choice – helping to reduce costs across all parties. In fact, many patients now prefer telemedicine and virtual care because it’s convenient, easy to access, and affordable.
Here are some of the top statistics to know about today’s healthcare system and virtual care in the United States:
Rising Costs for Employers
- 01 Employers anticipate a 6% rise in healthcare expenditures over the coming three years. [Source]
- 02 Over 50% of employers predict their healthcare costs will surpass their budgets this year. [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 Care Means Quality and Cost 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 In the same JD Power survey, 67% of respondents reported using video telehealth services in the last 2 years. [Source]
- 10 Patients favor virtual care for its convenience, speed, and ease of access to health information. [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 26 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!
If you are a patient and wish to book an appointment, you must first download the Recuro Care App, before scheduling a visit.
*Plan configuration & services available may vary. Reach out to your plan administrator or Recuro Health’s Customer Service for a comprehensive list of your covered services at 855-6RECURO (855-673-2876).
