Provider organizations mulling tech offerings to support telehealth
With consumers now accustomed to using virtual health, providers reassess how to proceed with platforms and videoconference solutions, KLAS report notes.
Even as consumers have become increasingly comfortable with telehealth-based services, healthcare organizations are considering how to continue use of the technology and which technology approaches and solution providers they should consider for the long term.
Organizations relied heavily on telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now they’re “at a crossroads as they evaluate telehealth’s value and long-term use,” states a recently released report from KLAS research.
Decisions on long-term strategies involving telehealth are complicated because of uncertainty surrounding whether the U.S. government will extend its emergency telehealth use policy past this summer, notes the report, written by lead author Dan Czech and co-authors Ciera Black Walker, Schaefer Jackson and Sarah Hanson.
The KLAS report examines how well vendors facilitate a quality customer experience and the outcomes achieved by healthcare organizations. A critical factor in assessing telehealth solutions is determining how well they support patient involvement with the technology, KLAS believes – this includes accommodating different devices used by patients, connection bandwidths and consumers’ varying levels of digital literacy.
The report divides solution providers into two groups based on their technology offerings – virtual care platforms and video conferencing solutions.
Among technology solution providers offering a virtual care platform, KLAS researchers received the most positive feedback for Caregility among users. Organizations using Teladoc Health, Updox and SOC Telemed also reported that the solutions drive tangible outcomes for patients, the KLAS report noted.
For video conferencing solutions, Doximity was most frequently used “in simple outpatient settings” and was cited for its ease of use. KLAS also noted generally favorable user comments about Doxy.me and Zoom. Zoom and Microsoft Teams were most often mentioned by respondents for their ability to support multi-party calls, “even when the organizations use other solutions for their day-to-day telehealth needs,” the report noted.
Recent research from KLAS has identified "a lack of alignment between patients’ engagement technology priorities and those of provider organizations and vendors." The Utah-based consultancy has focused recent research "to gain a deeper understanding of what is needed from vendors and providers to drive greater alignment with patients."
Data for the report comes from KLAS Decision Insights data and KLAS performance data. Registered provider organizations can access the dataset used as the basis for the report here.