ICYMI: AMA Report Underscores How Telehealth Has Become Integral to the Delivery of Health Care
Study Shows Nearly 75 Percent of Physicians Utilized Virtual Care in 2022, a Nearly Three-Fold Increase Since 2018
In case you missed it, a recent report from the American Medical Association (AMA) demonstrates telehealth has become an increasingly essential, and permanently popular method of delivering care for America’s physicians — as millions of patients could face a potential telehealth cliff in 2024.
In the report, AMA found nearly three-quarters (74.4 percent) of physicians have implemented telehealth programs in their practice — a nearly three-fold increase compared to 2018 (25.1 percent).
AMA also found that 66.3 percent of physicians said that they were able to utilize video telehealth programs in 2022, compared to just 14.3 percent in 2018. This substantial growth in telehealth offerings has helped bring safe, high-quality, and equitable care to patients regardless of their location or access to specialists.
The report notes that telehealth has become “part of the mainstream way in which physicians deliver care”.
AMA’s report emphasizes the increasingly vital importance of protecting access to telehealth and preventing uncertainty around virtual care as new innovations and offerings are made available to patients.
Telehealth has become an indispensable tool for building a more affordable, more equitable, and more effective health care system. Congress must act to permanently extend telehealth flexibilities set to expire in 2024, without onerous restrictions that could undermine the full promise of virtual care for patients.
Read the full report from AMA HERE.
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.