ADVERTORIAL CONTENT FROM KAISER PERMANENTE - July 2020
A Healthy Connection, When It Matters Most
There’s no way around it: The COVID-19 crisis mounts complex and ongoing challenges for businesses. And none is bigger than how to keep workers connected to health care when they need it most. Thankfully, telehealth is poised to aid businesses like never before. The advantages go far beyond just offering convenience and safety in challenging times.
A TIPPING POINT
Back in 2016, more than 70% of large companies offered employer-sponsored telehealth services in states where it’s allowed — but a survey showed that only 3% of employees had used them in the first half of the year.1 But more workers are catching on. In the Northwest, Kaiser Permanente saw a 54% increase in video visits from 2018 to 2019, with an even bigger success with e-visits, which is convenient online care, at no cost from Kaiser Permanente providers. Better still, members are experiencing high satisfaction rates. In fact, e-visits have a 93% member satisfaction rate. Along with no copay and the ability to communicate quickly with a provider, e-visits save many members time and money because they don’t have to travel for an in-office visit, which is a concern for most observing social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Still, concerns such as cost, privacy, and losing the personal relationship with their doctor linger.2 However, telehealth care at Kaiser Permanente happens within our integrated system, so we’re uniquely positioned to address these worries. In 2019, 26.3% of all scheduled appointments at Kaiser Permanente were conducted via phone or video. From scheduling visits on our mobile apps to connecting with their providers over their phone, our members are getting care when and where it works for them.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THIRD-PARTY TELEHEALTH
Crunch the numbers, and you’ll also discover telehealth could save U.S. companies more than $6 billion a year.3 And 93% of consumers who’ve used telehealth say that it lowered their health care costs.4 Still, not all telehealth care is created equal. Quality, cost, and available services can vary wildly.
Telehealth works best in an integrated, connected system — but in most cases, it’s delivered in a vacuum by third-party providers. They can’t access health records or prescription history or monitor their patients’ conditions. And their services typically aren’t covered by employer-sponsored health plans — third-party telehealth comes with additional costs for employers, employees, or both.
When providers aren’t aware of existing health conditions, medications, and other important factors, the best they can do is offer quick fixes for minor health issues. The truth is that these types of telehealth care interactions don’t reduce the need for in-person visits — and don’t do much to support overall health.5
CONNECTING TELEHEALTH WITH TOTAL HEALTH
At Kaiser Permanente, we use telehealth for preventive care and chronic condition management. And for those COVID-19 symptoms telehealth helps us screen members safely. In other words, telehealth is central to our integrated care program — it’s not an add-on. It’s available to all members and built into your company’s health plan. And 100% of Kaiser Permanente doctors offer primary and specialty care visits by phone or video. This means Kaiser Permanente members get the same high-quality care they’d get in person — care that is covered by their plan, is captured in their electronic health record, and becomes part of their overall health care experience.
A crisis like COVID-19 certainly emphasizes how telehealth is central to how we practice medicine at Kaiser Permanente. For the past four years, we have been investing and building this practice within our organization. It is allowing us to be very responsive and manage critical care needs during this time. We use telehealth to improve outcomes and deliver better care experiences every day. From traditional office visits to options like e-visits or video visits, you get care from Kaiser Permanente providers who can access and update health records, coordinate follow-up appointments, and make telehealth care part of an overall health care experience. That’s the power of telehealth delivered within a connected health care system. It all works together to support the total health of your employees — and your business.
Visit kp.org/choosebetter
1Large Employers’ 2017 Health Plan Design Survey, National Business Group on Health, August 2016.
2Melinda Beck, “How Telemedicine Is Transforming Health Care,” The Wall Street Journal, June 26, 2016.
3“Current Telemedicine Technology Could Mean Big Savings,” Willis Towers Watson, August 11, 2014.
4The 2016 HealthMine Digital Health Report: State and Impact of Digital Health Tools, HealthMine, 2016.
5Megan Molteni, “Telemedicine Could Be Great, if People Stopped Using It Like Uber,” Wired, March 6, 2017.
A TIPPING POINT
Back in 2016, more than 70% of large companies offered employer-sponsored telehealth services in states where it’s allowed — but a survey showed that only 3% of employees had used them in the first half of the year.1 But more workers are catching on. In the Northwest, Kaiser Permanente saw a 54% increase in video visits from 2018 to 2019, with an even bigger success with e-visits, which is convenient online care, at no cost from Kaiser Permanente providers. Better still, members are experiencing high satisfaction rates. In fact, e-visits have a 93% member satisfaction rate. Along with no copay and the ability to communicate quickly with a provider, e-visits save many members time and money because they don’t have to travel for an in-office visit, which is a concern for most observing social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Still, concerns such as cost, privacy, and losing the personal relationship with their doctor linger.2 However, telehealth care at Kaiser Permanente happens within our integrated system, so we’re uniquely positioned to address these worries. In 2019, 26.3% of all scheduled appointments at Kaiser Permanente were conducted via phone or video. From scheduling visits on our mobile apps to connecting with their providers over their phone, our members are getting care when and where it works for them.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THIRD-PARTY TELEHEALTH
Crunch the numbers, and you’ll also discover telehealth could save U.S. companies more than $6 billion a year.3 And 93% of consumers who’ve used telehealth say that it lowered their health care costs.4 Still, not all telehealth care is created equal. Quality, cost, and available services can vary wildly.
Telehealth works best in an integrated, connected system — but in most cases, it’s delivered in a vacuum by third-party providers. They can’t access health records or prescription history or monitor their patients’ conditions. And their services typically aren’t covered by employer-sponsored health plans — third-party telehealth comes with additional costs for employers, employees, or both.
When providers aren’t aware of existing health conditions, medications, and other important factors, the best they can do is offer quick fixes for minor health issues. The truth is that these types of telehealth care interactions don’t reduce the need for in-person visits — and don’t do much to support overall health.5
CONNECTING TELEHEALTH WITH TOTAL HEALTH
At Kaiser Permanente, we use telehealth for preventive care and chronic condition management. And for those COVID-19 symptoms telehealth helps us screen members safely. In other words, telehealth is central to our integrated care program — it’s not an add-on. It’s available to all members and built into your company’s health plan. And 100% of Kaiser Permanente doctors offer primary and specialty care visits by phone or video. This means Kaiser Permanente members get the same high-quality care they’d get in person — care that is covered by their plan, is captured in their electronic health record, and becomes part of their overall health care experience.
A crisis like COVID-19 certainly emphasizes how telehealth is central to how we practice medicine at Kaiser Permanente. For the past four years, we have been investing and building this practice within our organization. It is allowing us to be very responsive and manage critical care needs during this time. We use telehealth to improve outcomes and deliver better care experiences every day. From traditional office visits to options like e-visits or video visits, you get care from Kaiser Permanente providers who can access and update health records, coordinate follow-up appointments, and make telehealth care part of an overall health care experience. That’s the power of telehealth delivered within a connected health care system. It all works together to support the total health of your employees — and your business.
Visit kp.org/choosebetter
1Large Employers’ 2017 Health Plan Design Survey, National Business Group on Health, August 2016.
2Melinda Beck, “How Telemedicine Is Transforming Health Care,” The Wall Street Journal, June 26, 2016.
3“Current Telemedicine Technology Could Mean Big Savings,” Willis Towers Watson, August 11, 2014.
4The 2016 HealthMine Digital Health Report: State and Impact of Digital Health Tools, HealthMine, 2016.
5Megan Molteni, “Telemedicine Could Be Great, if People Stopped Using It Like Uber,” Wired, March 6, 2017.
