More doctors are engaging in telemedicine, particularly in large metropolitan areas, according to the 2019 Telemedicine and Locum Tenens Opportunities Study by Doximity, an online professional medical network.

The first study to analyze U.S. physician interest in telemedicine jobs, Doximity found that the number of physicians who self-reported telemedicine “as a skill” doubled from 2015 to 2018, and continues to increase by about 20 percent each year.

“Our research shows that doctors are embracing telemedicine as an alternative to traditional clinical practices, which is good news for patients,” says Dr. Amit Phull, Doximity's vice president of strategy and insights.

“By removing physical limitations, physicians can now expand their patient-base to rural areas that are currently underserved by different specialties,” Phull says. However, study found that physicians who currently reside in highly populated metropolitan areas are engaging the most with telemedicine job opportunities.

San Diego the topped the list of U.S. metros that had the highest number of physicians expressing interest in telemedicine. The other top metros are Miami, Atlanta, New York City, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Orlando, Los Angeles, Jacksonville and Tampa.

“If you start to view the physician shortage as a problem of where the doctors are located, which is mainly in the major metros, it's easy to see how more telemedicine can help address this serious challenge,” Phull says.

When looking at specialists who are most interested in telemedicine opportunities, the top 15 specialty fields are radiology, psychiatry, internal medicine, neurology, family medicine, dermatology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, geriatrics, allergy and immunology, endocrinology, infectious disease, urology, pediatric pulmonology and occupational medicine.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the top 15 specialties least engaged with telemedicine job postings are anesthesiology, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology, physical medicine/rehab, gastroenterology, otolaryngology (ENT), cardiology, plastic surgery, nephrology, neurosurgery, pulmonology, pediatric cardiology and pathology.

The data showed that female physicians are 10 percent more interested in telemedicine job opportunities, relative to their male counterparts. When looking at age, physicians across all age groups shared nearly equal interest in telemedicine.

The study used data from Doximity on engagement with job postings on the Doximity professional medical network. Engagement is defined as a physician taking action in response to a job posting either by clicking on a posting to “see more,” submitting a resume or scheduling an input call.

Doximity also found a rise in interest in locum tenens work, which is a temporary physician employment opportunity that is considered part-time. “Both locum tenens work and telemedicine provide patients with increased access to care across the country,” the study concludes.

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More physicians are embracing telemedicine

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