New report show inequity in telemedicine adoption

While people are turning to telemedicine more than ever, the demographics of users suggest that younger, educated patients with higher incomes are using it at the highest rate, according to a report from Rock Health.

Nearly 8,000 adults were surveyed on their relationship to digital health for the report. Respondents with annual incomes of $150,000-$199,999 were significantly more likely to use telemedicine compared to those in lower-income groups. The same goes for respondents who were 18-44 years old compared to those who were older. Also, those with advanced educational degrees (e.g., master's or graduate degrees) were more likely to use telemedicine than those with a high school degree or less.

The report also found that telemedicine adoption among rural respondents remained stagnant from the previous year's survey results at 60%. Of rural respondents who never accessed telemedicine, 9% cited reported poor cellular or broadband connectivity as a barrier to using it.

When looking at race/ethnicity, non-white respondents had greater odds of using telemedicine compared to white respondents. Seventy-seven percent of non-white respondents reported telemedicine use—an eight percent increase from the previous year— compared to 70% of white respondents.

Source: Rock Health