Typically,telemedicine costs a fraction of what employees (and employers)would spend on visits to urgent care clinics or emergency rooms.(Photo: Shutterstock)

Telemedicine isn't a new concept. In fact, telemedicine datesback to the early 1920s when people were predicting doctors wouldsoon use televisions and microphones to communicate withpatients.

Obviously, telemedicine has advanced significantly sincethen—especially in the last 25 years with the introduction of theinternet. During many of those intervening years, employees havebeen reticent to adopt telemedicine. Technical issues, qualityof care and security concerns typically top the list of reasonsmany employees have not used telemedicine in the past. However,over the last few years, I've noticed a shift in employee behavior:More people are starting to embrace telemedicine. And, I'm not theonly one taking notice. According to an article earlier this year, telemedicine use grew1,398 percent from 2014 to 2018.

So, why the big shift in employee adoption? I see three bigreasons:

1. Employees in rural areas have little access to in-personhealth care

It's so dire that employees who live in rural areas have accessto only 13.1 doctors per 10,000 people as opposed to31.2 doctors per 10,000 people in urban areas. What's more, ifyou're an employee living in a rural area of the United States,chances are you may have to travel upwards of 200 miles to visitthe nearest hospital! And, the recent physician shortage isn't helping either.

Primary care doctors who do work in these rural areas aretypically spread thin, and access to specialists in areas likemental health and obstetrics is almost non-existent. On the otherhand, 81 percent of all Americans now own asmartphone, which means healthcare is now more accessible than everbefore for these rural populations. No geographical limits. No waittimes. No traveling 200 miles to see a primary care doctor. It'snot surprising these rural employees have recently adoptedtelemedicine in a big way!

2. Virtual care is becoming almost as trusted as in-personcare

For many people, health care comes down to one word: Trust.People go to (and stay with) certain physicians because they trustthem. They trust them to provide good advice about their health.They trust them to deliver exceptional care. And, more thananything, they trust them to do the right thing. Building trustwhen you can see your doctor face-to-face a few times a year isrelatively easy. Building trust over the phone (or, tougher yet,the Internet) is a bit more challenging. But, that tide—andsentiment—is changing.

A study by the University of Rochester MedicalCenter found that the quality of care delivered via telemedicinewas as effective as in-person care. Another study in the American Journal of Managed Carefound that patients who utilized telemedicine had a lower hospitalre-admission rate and scored lower for depression, anxiety, andstress. Plus, employers are getting smarter about how theyfacilitate virtual care in the workplace. For example, someemployers are changing their heath plans to eliminate copays fortelemedicine to encourage use among employees. Other employers arenow devoting private rooms in the workplace for employees to accesstelemedicine during breaks or over the lunch hour.

3. Employees can save almost $500 per visit

Obviously, one big factor for all employees when making healthcare decisions is cost. Here's where telemedicine can really payoff. Typically, telemedicine costs a fraction of what employees(and employers) would spend on visits to urgent care clinics oremergency rooms. In fact, our clients are currently saving anestimated $495 per telemedicine episode, on average!

So, as you can see, the tide seems to be turning when it comesto telemedicine. Employees are becoming more comfortable withtechnology—and employers are getting smarter about how tofacilitate it. The quality of care is improving. And, telemedicineis saving employees a lot of money! As these trends continue, Iexpect we'll see even more employers prioritizing telemedicine aspart of their employee benefit packages in the year ahead!

Alissa Traughber is a Senior ProductManager at CoreSource, Inc., working out of the company's homeoffice in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Read more: 

• 6 tips for changing the telemedicineconversation
• Will more services under one roof boost telehealthutilization?
• Rapid telemedicine growth signifies need foraccreditation