A new study sponsored by KeyCare, a virtual care company built with Epic, found that it was "very important" to 79 percent of patients that their telehealth provider and their regular physician both have access to their health records.
Additionally, the survey found that only 33 percent of patients prefer in-person visits for medical issues they classify as "minor but urgent." The survey comes as Congress looks to extend COVID-19 era telehealth flexibilities.
"It certainly makes sense in today's world that patients want more telehealth options and prefer the idea of receiving virtual care from doctors and care teams who have the ability to view and share their comprehensive health records. However, many health systems do not have the internal resources to meet this increasing patient demand for telehealth services," KeyCare CEO Lyle Berkowitz, MD, said in the Nov. 1 news release provided to Becker's. "Health system leaders seeking to expand access to telehealth should make sure they consider these consumer preferences and choose a virtual care partner who can provide both a seamless patient experience and easy data liquidity across a common platform."