A spike in physician telemedicine interest indicates a surge in virtual care

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The number of US physicians engaging with telemedicine job postings has spiked substantially, which could portend growth in the supply of telemedicine practitioners and overall telemedicine utilization. Between 2015 and 2018, the number of physicians on Doximity — a "LinkedIn" for doctors — who self-reported telemedicine as a skill doubled, increasing 20% annually, per a new report from online medical network service Doximity.

If physicians continue to pad their telemedicine abilities, we should see a related increase in overall telemedicine use: Growth in physicians’ self-reported telemedicine skills correlates with growth in telemedicine visits, which ballooned about 260% annually between 2015 and 2017.

Physician interest in telemedicine jobs is nearly level across age groups, dispelling the idea that older physicians’ aversion to new tech will hinder telemedicine adoption.

While telemedicine interest declines slightly with age, older physicians — those age 51 and above — still accounted for about 41% of total engagement with telemedicine job postings. It’s worth noting this data runs contrary to a recent American Well survey, which found older physicians are less willing and more unsure about using telehealth relative to their younger counterparts.

We think ongoing trends in both the supply of and demand for telemental health will sustain it as the fastest-growing telemedicine service over the next decade:

Use of telemental health services grew more than any other telehealth service between 2005 and 2017. Telemental health usage grew 60% annually between 2005 and 2017, accounting for 53% of all telemedicine visits, per a JAMA study cited by Reuters.
And medical practitioners’ interest in telepsychiatry occupations should expand access to telemental health services. Telepsychiatry job postings had the second-highest level of engagement, suggesting we’ll see an increase in the telemental health labor supply and volume of telepsychiatric services available to consumers, which is favorable to adoption.
Consumer uptake of telemental health services should surge as rural labor shortages depress use of in-person mental health services. About 112 million US citizens live in areas designated as mental healthcare professional shortage areas, per a June 2019 US Department of Health & Human Services report. As the US mental health crisis intensifies — spending on mental health is expected to hit $55 billion in 2020, up from $38 billion in 2009 — more patients in underserved areas will likely be funneled to virtual services. Moreover, the care quality provided by in-person mental health visits should be easier to replicate virtually compared with specialties like primary care, which require more measurements or physical examinations than mental health. This should make telemental health more conducive to a positive patient experience than other specialties, fostering repeat visits.

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