New Research from Zipnosis Reveals Over 96 Percent of Health Systems Plan to Expand Their Virtual Care Service Amid Slow Industry Adoption
Survey data specifically examines virtual care deployment in health systems and will be highlighted at HIMSS19 Global Conference & Exhibition
Zipnosis, a leading virtual care software company, today released findings from its 2018 On-Demand Virtual Care Benchmark Survey in a new report analyzing how health systems are deploying and using virtual care. The results of the report indicate that there will be a major increase in virtual care use by health systems over the next 12 months, primarily driven by the enhanced efficiency that virtual care offers providers. Zipnosis will elaborate on these and other study findings at its booth #7851 at HIMSS19 Global Conference & Exhibition, February 11-15, 2019 in Orlando, FL.
Virtual care is an increasingly critical component of healthcare delivery, but studies have yet to examine how health systems are deploying virtual care. This study attempts to fill that gap, providing in-depth analysis regarding the state of virtual care in health systems, looking at everything from adoption to common and future use cases.
“We believe health systems are in a unique position to increase adoption of virtual care and expand access to quality health care. As the data in our report indicates, in order to be successful in these efforts, virtual care providers and health systems alike need to focus on improving the patient experience and continuing to educate both the patient and provider,” said Jon Pearce, CEO of Zipnosis. “This report shines a light on the fact that virtual care deployed in health systems is a major area of opportunity, with respondents continually indicating planned and expected growth for virtual care in their organizations, from budgets to applications.”
According to a recent JAMA study, although telemedicine has grown steadily over the past few years, the majority of patients are still opting for in-person visits with their provider. However, according to the 2018 On-Demand Virtual Care Benchmark Survey, 96.4 percent of health systems are planning to expand their virtual care services in the next year, with only 3.5 percent stating they have no firm plans. Among those with plans to expand, the most commonly selected expansion options were adding modes of care and expanding use cases and specialties for patient-initiated visits.
Other key trends uncovered in this report include:
- Behavioral health leads the pack
Behavioral health topped the list of areas that respondents would like to see virtual care address (nearly 40 percent), followed by chronic disease detection and management (16 percent).
- The use of phone consults is on the decline, while real-time chat is on the rise
Nearly two-thirds of respondents looking to expand their platforms report wanting to add real-time chat, video and asynchronous capabilities to their modes of care.
- Virtual care is driving efficiency
The majority of respondents (more than 43 percent) report the average work time for virtual visits is between 1 and 5 minutes, whereas the median visit length for in-person primary care visits is nearly 16 minutes, according to National Institutes of Health data.
- Simple conditions are the most commonly treated
The vast number of respondents use virtual care to treat simple and more common conditions, with more than 50 percent reporting that they use their virtual care solutions to treat upper respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, cough and pinkeye.
- EMR integration is not common
Nearly 42 percent of respondents said their virtual care solution did not integrate with their EMR. While only 21 percent indicated that as a challenge, EMR integration is an area that can help vastly help improve the patient experience and should be a key focus moving forward.
To learn more about the survey findings, please join us for an upcoming webinar, hosted in conjunction with the American Telemedicine Association on March 20, and stop by the Zipnosis booth (#7851) at HIMSS19.
Report Methodology
In total, this survey had 56 respondents in organizations ranging in size from no hospitals to more than 15. Respondents indicated operations in all fifty states, with 33.9 percent of respondents indicating operations in more than one state, several of which spanned multiple regions. Data was collected via online survey designed to gather information about how healthcare organizations are deploying on-demand virtual care services. The survey consisted of 43 total questions, with respondents who indicated a current on-demand virtual care service answering 35, and those without an on-demand virtual care service answering 13. Responses were solicited across a range of online channels including direct emails, social media, and trade associations. To learn more about the 2018 On-Demand Virtual Care Benchmark Survey, visit the Zipnosis website or follow Zipnosis on Twitter or LinkedIn.
