A robust interest in video-visitations and adoption of telehealth has developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with valuable insight on how clinicians aim to utilize telehealth for patient care, according to survey results which will be presented as part of ACC's Cardiovascular Summit Virtual, taking place Feb. 12 – 13.

To understand the uptake and barriers to telehealth in everyday clinical practice, the ACC Health Care Innovation Section surveyed cardiologists regarding their perspectives of telehealth – specifically video-visitations – and common barriers for how telehealth is implemented. In total, 342 cardiovascular professionals (92% physicians) completed the survey from 303 different practice zip codes across 42 states.

Fifty-five percent of respondent's work setting was identified as a cardiovascular group or multi-specialty group, with 52%, 24% and 18% as part of a hospital, physician or university-owned practice, respectively. In addition, over half (54%) have been in practice for more than 15 years, a demographic not often identified to adopt digital tools.

Results showed that nearly 90% of survey respondents were new telehealth users and have been using video-visitations for less than two months. In the context of integration, 69% of respondents stated that their institution required telehealth to be integrated within an electronic health record (EHR). Among those that stated this requirement, 67% stated that they would use telehealth even if not integrated.

Furthermore, the survey found that 68% expressed awareness of telehealth reimbursement regulations in their state; however, only 33% were aware of their states' reimbursement parity.

Andrew M. Freeman, MD, FACC, study author and ACC Health Care Innovation Council member, notes that there are still various knowledge gaps, ranging from how to implement telehealth within practices, integrate within EHRs, and understand the financial and payment requirements that align with state and federal expectations.

Don't miss the pre-conference sessions Feb. 2 – 4, a pre-conference Q/A session on Feb. 10, as well as the live course Feb. 12 – 13. On-demand access to content will be available through April 30. Also stay up to date throughout the course via social media by using the hashtag #CVSummit and following @ACCinTouch.

For more information, visit ACC.org/CVSummit21.

Clinical Topics: COVID-19 Hub

Keywords: Social Media, Electronic Health Records, COVID-19, Telemedicine, Health Care Surveys, Patient Care, Hospitals, Demography

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