FEBRUARY 2021 Fact Sheet Patients with Low Incomes and Their Providers Agree: Continue Telehealth L arge numbers of patients and providers in California Satisfaction with telehealth is high among patients have turned to telehealth (care provided via either and providers. Patients with low incomes find it eas- telephone or video) during the COVID-19 pan- ier to keep telehealth appointments than in-person demic. What has been their experience, and how do they appointments. see the future of telehealth? A 72% of all patients said they were just as, or more, satisfied with a phone visit than with their last in- Below is a summary of key data points from surveys com- person visit; 65% said they were just as, or more, missioned by the California Health Care Foundation and satisfied with a video visit. released in the fall of 2020. One surveyed Californians, age 18 to 64, who had received care between March 2019 A 67% of patients with low incomes (and 66% of all and August 2020, asking about their experiences with patients) said their telehealth visit was a better expe- telehealth specifically since the start of the pandemic. rience than they thought it would be. The other surveyed providers (including doctors, nurses, A 64% of patients with low incomes (and 56% of all nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and behavioral patients) said they had an easier time keeping their health specialists) across the state. appointment for a phone or video visit than they did keeping appointments for in-person visits in the past. This fact sheet highlights findings that specifically illumi- nate the experiences of patients with low incomes and A 83% of safety-net providers (and 85% of all providers) the safety-net providers who serve them (providers with using telehealth consider it “very” or “somewhat” 30% or more patients who are covered by Medi-Cal or effective for providing care to their patients. are uninsured). Patients and providers want telehealth to continue. Telehealth use is high among all patients and provid- Around three-quarters of patients with low incomes ers, with slightly higher use among patients with low who had a telehealth visit say they’d continue to use it. incomes. Telephone visits are particularly prevalent A 79% of patients with low incomes (and 71% of all among safety-net providers. patients) who had a telehealth visit said they would A 65% of patients with low incomes (and 62% of all always like the option for phone or video visits. patients) who received care reported receiving a A 70% of patients with low incomes (and 57% of all telehealth visit. patients) who had a telehealth visit said that they A 76% of safety-net providers (and 79% of all provid- would likely choose a phone or video visit over an ers) report using telehealth — a more than twofold in-person visit whenever possible. increase from before the pandemic for both groups. A 88% of safety-net providers (and 89% of all provid- A Notably,safety-net providers use the telephone for ers) currently using telehealth would continue to do 53% of their telehealth appointments, on average, so if payments for telehealth and in-person visits are compared to 41% of telehealth visits among non- comparable. safety-net providers. But payment parity and access to technology among About the Foundation patients with low incomes are key for maintaining or The California Health Care Foundation is dedicated to improving access to telehealth going forward. advancing meaningful, measurable improvements in the way the health care delivery system provides care to the A Only 43% of safety-net providers (and 42% of all pro- people of California, particularly those with low incomes viders) say they’ll continue telehealth if payment for and those whose needs are not well served by the status telehealth is lower than payment for in-person visits. quo. We work to ensure that people have access to the A 45% of providers with uninsured and Medi-Cal care they need, when they need it, at a price they can patients say that only some (34%), few (10%), or none afford. (1%) of their Medi-Cal or uninsured patients have adequate access to the technology needed for care CHCF informs policymakers and industry leaders, invests via telehealth. Explore the full findings from CHCF’s in ideas and innovations, and connects with changemak- surveys of patients and providers. ers to create a more responsive, patient-centered health care system. For more information, visit www.chcf.org. SURVEY FINDINGS Explore the full findings from CHCF surveys of patients and providers. California Health Care Foundation www.chcf.org 2