Telehealth adoption remains low, but satisfaction is growing

Only around 10 percent of U.S. consumers have used telehealth services, according to the J.D. Power 2019 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study. However, among the early adopters of telehealth, many are satisfied with the experience.

For the study, J.D. Power received 8,296 responses from consumers who have used telehealth services within the past 12 months. The responses were collected between August and September.

"We are looking at telehealth services similar to mobile banking and its early adoption rates," said Greg Truex, managing director of health intelligence at J.D. Power. "Early attempts at trying to convince consumers to bank via their phone failed, and initiatives were abruptly canceled. Now, with mobile banking apps having grown to become the third-most-used application among consumers, we expect telehealth to follow a similar path. Telehealth offers an alternative avenue to receive quality care that is cost efficient and accessible. Once providers and payers refine the formula for awareness and adoption, telehealth will change the landscape of how affordable and quality care is delivered."

Here are four things to know for the study:

1. The overall customer satisfaction score for telehealth services was 851 on a 1,000-point scale.

2. Around two-thirds of telehealth users used the services because they heard positive recommendations from others.

3. Twenty-nine percent of consumers said they have not used telehealth services because their providers don't offer it. Around 37 percent indicated that they don't know if the services is offered by their provider.

4. The average telehealth appointment took around 44 minutes, with 17 minutes to complete the enrollment process, nine minutes to wait for a provider and 18 minutes for the consultation.

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