By Julian Flannery, CEO and Founder, Summus
Since 2020, virtual care has grown dramatically to enable healthcare delivery, reduce friction, improve access, and offer greater convenience. Virtual care has strengthened a consumer-centric approach to healthcare that drives better health outcomes and reduces healthcare costs.
U.S. Adults Are Seeing Specialists And Using Virtual Care
In a recent nationwide survey, 730 U.S. adults shared their attitudes, behaviors, and experiences with in-person and virtual care—with emphasis on the access and visits to specialists. For most, an annual primary care visit is common, but survey findings reveal that consumers also frequently see specialists for health journeys that can address everything from allergies to cancer and complex pediatrics to urologic conditions.
- Sixty-six percent of consumers surveyed indicated they have seen a specialist more than once in the past two years.
- Of these consumers, 25% visited a specialist two or three times—with 17% visiting four or five times.
- The most visited specialists were cardiologist (70%), neurologists (68%), orthopedists (68%), pediatricians (66%), and oncologists (54%).
Overall, a third of survey respondents indicated that most of their recent doctor visits have been virtual—and 87% were satisfied with their virtual appointment, reinforcing the positive role that virtual specialty care plays in healthcare.
Read the full article here to learn how virtual specialty care delivers on consumer preferences.
