Health care visits delivered via telemedicine nearly tripled over the past two years in upstate New York, as awareness and financial support of the option has expanded, according to Univera Healthcare.

According to a claims-based review of health care services delivered, health plan members made 5,137 telemedicine visits in 2016. In 2018, the number of telemedicine visits among its members jumped to 14,790.

“Extrapolating our experience to the state as a whole, we estimate that New Yorkers made more than 180,000 telemedicine visits last year, leading us to the conclusion that this additional method of receiving care is quickly emerging,” said Dr. Steven Dina, Univera medical director.

Private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid pay for health care services delivered via telemedicine now. Awareness and acceptance of telemedicine is growing rapidly, according to an online survey of upstate New York adults conducted by One Research and commissioned for Univera in early 2019. Among the 2,004 respondents:

¯ More than 50 percent said they know about telemedicine;

¯ Five percent reported to have used it;

¯ Among those who have used telemedicine, 93 percent rated the experience favorably; and

¯ Some 43 percent of all respondents said they would consider using telemedicine in the future.

“Telemedicine can help address several health care needs,” Dina said. “For many common conditions, it can be used to avoid potentially preventable visits to a hospital emergency room or an urgent care center.”

Among a sample of health plan members who used telemedicine last year, about 4 percent reported that method of care helped them avoid using a hospital emergency room. Had the telemedicine option not been available, 55 percent reported that they would have used an urgent care center, 26 percent said they would have seen their primary care physician, 10 percent said they would have delayed getting care, and the remainder chose “other.”

“The ideal method of getting care is to see your physician,” Dina said. “We suspect a number of telemedicine visits taking place are occurring because patients cannot immediately get appointments for minor conditions and feel they need to address or want to address their issues quickly; otherwise they would wait.”

An estimated 78 percent of telemedicine visits made by a sample of health plan members in 2018 were related to medical treatments, with the balance (22 percent) related to behavioral health services.

The top medical conditions for which members sought telemedicine treatment were:

¯ heart disease;

¯ hypertension;

¯ skin disorders;

¯ diabetes; and

¯ pneumonia.

Top behavioral health conditions for which members sought telemedicine treatment were:

¯ anxiety;

¯ depression;

¯ childhood/adolescence disorders;

¯ attention disorder; and

¯ bipolar disorder.

Psychiatrist visits were cited by the health plan as one of the fastest-growing areas of telemedicine care.

“Telemedicine is helping patients see their psychiatrists for their medication management,” Dina said. “Patients can get quicker access to address their behavioral health needs. And, we’ve learned that our members like being able to consult with their psychiatrists from the comfort and privacy of their homes. Telemedicine isn’t the answer for everything, but these results are positive signs that it is seen as a valuable tool that enhances access to care. Families are putting their doctors in their pockets when they go on vacation. Kids are using it when they go off to college. We’re seeing folks from rural areas more easily getting basic care and follow up care from specialists using telemedicine without having to travel long distances.”