Telehealth may have exploded in popularity during the pandemic, but physical medical offices aren't going anywhere: nearly two-thirds of healthcare visits are exclusively in-person with no virtual component, according to a new survey by JLL Healthcare.
Virtual healthcare visits hit a peak of 52% of all visits in the second quarter of 2020 and then stabilized to 11%, according to May 2021 data from Chartis Group. Prior to the pandemic, telehealth visits accounted for less than 1% of all visits.
But the JLL data shows that consumers still crave an in-office experience, with 62% of consumers surveyed saying their visits are in person only. And of the respondents who noted having virtual care components, about 31% resulted in a physical office visit. This suggests telehealth's position "as an augmentation to the physical office, rather than a replacement," according to JLL analysts.
Recommended For You
"While telehealth may offer convenience and more efficient care options, it can also be an avenue to increase patient access and drive more overall healthcare visits. Telehealth is an augment to the physical office, not a replacement," the report analyzing survey data notes. "Physical facilities are still imperative to invest in, as the expansion of patient access across all health systems will lead to competitive leasing dynamics, especially as many virtual care providers must maintain patient confidentiality and data security—and compliant virtual care settings are more likely to be in a medical office setting, not in a doctor's home office."
One trend that's stayed constant: patients are prioritizing convenience: 83% of patients surveyed by JLL said the traveled less than 30 minutes to access care and 40% traveled less than 15 minutes. And regional preferences for virtual components of care are also strongest in the Northeast and West, versus the Midwest and South, according to JLL.
"Physical facilities are still at the center of the healthcare ecosystem," said Jay Johnson, US Practice Leader, JLL Healthcare. "Virtual care via telehealth is replacing some in-person visits, but nearly three quarters of the care still involves a physical location according to our survey results. Telehealth is actually leading to subsequent in-person care interactions that might not have occurred otherwise. Steady occupancy of 91 to 92 percent in the national medical office market over the past three years, coupled with slightly increasing rental rates, seem to bear out the durability of physical sites of care."
© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more inforrmation visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
