Increased Telehealth Utilization Supports Rural Health in Michigan

Telehealth utilization has increased in Michigan rural counties, and the residents plan to continue using virtual care in a post-pandemic world, according to a report from Connected Nation Michigan (CN Michigan).

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, CN Michigan conducted a study in 2019 to identify telehealth barriers in five rural Michigan counties including Dickinson, Gladwin, Osceola, and Sanilac.

“When we released the key findings from our initial study in early 2020, we had no idea how timely it would become — just days later, the pandemic shut everything down,” Eric Frederick, executive director of CN Michigan, said in a press release. “We already knew that it was important to better understand how patients perceive telehealth and to examine what barriers there may be to accessing this tool. What we didn’t know is that telehealth would quickly become critical for keeping people safe during the pandemic.”

In 2021, CN Michigan conducted another survey in the same five counties to understand how telehealth utilization and perceptions had changed since 2019.

More than half of the adults surveyed in 2021 (54 percent) reported that they used the internet to communicate with a healthcare provider, compared to 34 percent in 2019. Most respondents said they used the internet to chat with a general practitioner or a family physician. Additionally, the study found that adults who have a home internet connection were more likely to use telehealth compared to adults who access internet from another location. 

Online interaction with a healthcare provider was more common among certain age groups as well. Adults between 18 and 54 years were more likely to use the internet for healthcare resources compared to adults aged 55 and older. Adults with children also used telehealth at a higher rate than adults who lived alone (65 percent vs 33 percent).

Over one in four households used email to communicate online with their providers, up from 14 percent in 2019. Healthcare provider websites, text, and video consultations were also common methods.

The share of adults who used online services like remote monitoring or counseling to keep up with a prescribed healthcare routine increased as well, going from 10 percent in 2019 to 17 percent in 2021.

Telehealth can be particularly beneficial in rural areas, as it can eliminate barriers such as far travel distances and lack of transportation. Nearly three out of ten individuals reported that virtual interactions saved them trips to the doctor.

Using telehealth instead of in-person care for routine 15-minute visits to general practitioners across the five counties generated nearly $13.6 million in savings in one year, according to the report.

Additionally, more than 80 percent of residents in each county agreed that using telehealth saved them time, while around 50 percent of residents agreed that the modality saved them money.

Around seven in ten adults generally maintained their agreement from 2019 that telehealth was a more convenient option than in-person care.

Unsurprisingly, 42 percent of all telehealth users reported that they started utilizing virtual services less than a year ago and 30 percent said that the COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on their decision.

The residents in these rural counties expressed their intent to continue using telehealth, with 75 percent planning to use it at about the same rate and 6 percent planning to use it more frequently.

However, some rural residents are still hesitant to dive into telehealth. Among adults who do not use online services to interact with their healthcare provider, 80 percent said that they would not even if their providers offered them.

What’s more, just over half of residents who have used telehealth still prefer in-person visits, though this share dropped from 55 percent in 2019 to 51 percent in 2021.

CN Michigan recommended policymakers solidify the temporary telehealth regulations that were enacted due to the pandemic. Policymakers should also support efforts to expand high-speed internet service to every household in Michigan to ensure equal access to telehealth, CN Michigan said. 

In addition, state and local officials should continue to monitor telehealth access and usage, as the data may help healthcare providers keep up with the demand for virtual care, CN Michigan concluded.