ICYMI: Nearly 70 Percent of Medicare Patients Are Comfortable Conducting Annual Wellness Visits Through Telehealth

KeyCare Survey Finds Medicare Patients Prefer Telehealth for Annual Wellness Visits, Cite Convenience, Quicker Access and Decreased Sick Exposure as Driving Factors.

In case you missed it, a recent consumer survey by KeyCare found that among Medicare beneficiaries who have utilized telehealth, 69 percent report that they would be comfortable conducting annual wellness visits via telehealth. 

Among the 400 Medicare patient respondents, the most cited virtual care benefits were convenience in terms of:

• Transportation and time (39.25 percent)
• Elimination of the need to sit in an office with sick people (30.75 percent)
• Lower expenses (23.25 percent), and 
• The ability to schedule a visit sooner (20 percent)

“The results of this survey confirm that health systems have a tremendous opportunity to work with telehealth partners to deliver annual wellness visits to Medicare patients,” said Lyle Berkowitz, MD, CEO of KeyCare. 

Telehealth and virtual care flexibilities help expand access to care for Medicare patients, like seniors, nationwide. Being able to utilize telehealth for annual wellness visits ensures patients’ medical records are up to date, can help with adherence, support preventative care, and enable better health outcomes — while closing care gaps based on social inequalities. 

However, without action from Congress, millions of seniors face a potential telehealth cliff if flexibilities that allow Medicare to cover virtual care are not extended, without onerous restrictions that could limit value for patients.

The survey results further underscore how telehealth has become essential for America’s seniors to manage their health and access quality, convenient care. Lawmakers must act to protect access to telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries.

Read the full survey analysis HERE and learn more about how Congress can act to permanently protect telehealth access HERE.

ABOUT TELEHEALTH ACCESS FOR AMERICA

Telehealth Access for America (TAFA) is a public education campaign supported by leaders in health care committed to better care, expanded patient choice, and protecting access to critical telehealth services. Learn more and take action today at www.telehealthaccessforamerica.org.