While COVID-19 served as a catalyst for the uptake of telehealth, a new report from HealthEngine provides a snapshot of the early telehealth experience from across Australia and the opportunities ahead. As the leading healthcare and telehealth destination, HealthEngine identified learnings and insights from its work to help connect GP and patients via telehealth. Topline learnings included:
- Continuity of Care: Most people looked to their regular GP or local provider first for telehealth
- GPs Turning to Telehealth: 1 in 4 GP practices on HealthEngine offered telehealth
- After Hours Care: GPs from four dedicated virtual care groups covered 92% of late night appointments
- Telehealth Generation: Millennials accounted for 43% of telehealth use
- Top 3 States for Telehealth Adoption: ACT, WA and NSW
- Top 5 Cities for Telehealth Use: Bathhurst (NSW), Nowra-Bomaderry (NSW), Busselton (WA), Rockhampton (QLD) and Wollongong (NSW)
- Phone vs Video: Majority of appointments via phone, but some patients want more video
The Uptake of Telehealth: HealthEngine Insights Report is available at https://he.app.link/telehealth-insights-2020-07 and brings together findings from The Uptake of Telehealth Dashboard and a post-telehealth appointment patient/consumer survey. The interactive Uptake of Telehealth Dashboard, linked in the report, allows you to look at national data or breakdowns by state and territories, generations and/or by April-June time period.
Dr Marcus Tan, CEO of HealthEngine said, “Creating more access to telehealth for people across Australia builds on HealthEngine’s belief in the power of connectivity, simplicity and the ability for positive patient experiences to create better healthcare outcomes. With recent telehealth reforms announced and continued reviews ahead, we hope the report contributes to the conversation on the future of telehealth and its role in filling healthcare gaps due to timing, location, situation or patient’s choice during and beyond the pandemic.”
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About HealthEngine https://healthengine.com.au/ is Australia’s largest consumer healthcare destination and the #1 go-to for healthcare bookings. Founded in 2006, HealthEngine is on a mission to transform Australia’s healthcare by making it easier for people to connect with their healthcare providers online and for health practitioners to deliver a great patient experience through technology. More than 7 million people across Australian have made more than 30 million bookings on the platform.
