JD Power Survey Sees Telehealth Falling Back Into the Same Old Rut

A new study finds that while telehealth has surged during the pandemic, providers haven’t solved many of the issues that kept adoption low prior to COVID-19.

J.D. Power’s 2021 US Telehealth Satisfaction Survey, released this week, saw a surge in telehealth use from 7 percent in 2019 and 9 percent in 2020 to 36 percent in 2021, reflecting the shift to virtual care as the nation grappled with COVID-19. But the consumer advisory company’s third annual survey also saw a decrease in patient satisfaction, driven by complains over limited services (24 percent), lack of awareness on costs, confusing technology requirements and lack of information about care providers (all at 15 percent).

“It’s impossible to ignore that 36 percent of the healthcare customers we measure within our research have used telehealth services this year—which is four times higher than a year ago,” James Beem, the firm’s managing director of global healthcare intelligence, said in a press release. “However, digging deeper into the research, it’s clear that customer satisfaction has declined during the same period, with many users citing limited access to the services they need and inconsistencies in the care they receive. As the industry grows, it is critical to address these challenges.”

The survey of some 4,700 consumers, conducted this past June and July, measures customer satisfaction on four weighted factors: customer service (42 percent), consultation (28 percent), enrollment (19 percent) and billing and payment (11 percent). The focus is on direct-to-consumer and payer-sponsored telehealth services.

The survey reflects an enduring issue with connected health, and one that has surfaced in recent studies that indicate the momentum for virtual care is falling back.

Many providers jumped on the telehealth bandwagon during the height of the pandemic, some for the first time, as they sought to continue care while reducing in-person services. The hope was that this would fuel a continued surge past the pandemic, and that state and federal lawmakers would maintain emergency measures supporting telehealth coverage and access and develop a long-term policy that kept the momentum going.

But telehealth use has curtailed as patients return to the doctor’s office, clinic and hospital, and lawmakers and payers have been reluctant to make access and coverage changes permanent. As a result, some providers are going back to pre-pandemic strategies or waiting until they get guidance from the government on long-term telehealth policy.

The J.D. Power Survey does offer some good bullet point supporting telehealth. Adoption spiked across all generations over the past 18 months, reflecting a universal interest in virtual care, and some 57 percent of those surveyed cited convenience as their top reason for using it. Another 47 percent cited the ability to receive care quickly, and 36 percent lauded its safety.

But the care delivered isn’t the same for healthy patients as it is for sick patients. According to the survey, which saw an 85 point drop (on a 1,000 point scale) in overall consumer satisfaction, patients who described themselves as less healthy (and who therefore were in more need of care) were less likely to understand the information given to them during a virtual visit, say the received clear instructions and classify the visit as highly personalized with a quality diagnosis.

Those results should give the healthcare industry a plan of action as it moves toward a post-pandemic hybrid platform that mixes virtual and in-person care.

The survey also ranks some of the larger telehealth providers and health plans.

Among vendors, Teladoc came in first, followed my MDLive, MyTelemedicine, Doctor On Demand and LiveHealth, all of which scored above average (Walgreens, CVS and eVisit came in just below average). Among health plans, UnitedHealthcare topped the list, followed by Humana and the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, all above average, while Cigna, Aetna and Anthem came in just below that line.