The number of eVisits is expected to reach 100 million globally potentially saving over $5 billion when compared to the cost of in-person doctor visits, according to a recent report from Deloitte. The report findings show that as eVisits are proven and adopted globally, they are increasingly likely to offer affordable primary medical and diagnostic care to large populations that do not have access today. eVisits are defined in the report as a subset of the telehealth market, which is estimated to reach $25 billion by 2015.
The potential savings is the greatest in North America where the number of eVisits could be 75 million in 2014, representing 25 percent of the addressable market. With more than 600 million annual visits to the primary care physician in North America, about half are for problems that could be addressed by an eVisit.
Key Findings
– The total addressable market for eVisits in developed countries is estimated to be about $50-60 billion.
– The greater convenience of eVisits may potentially cause the number of consultations to rise, possibly offsetting some of the potential savings eVisits provide.
– Canada is also seeing rising use of eVisits with more than a 50 percent annual growth rate with wait times reduced by days for primary care and by 6-8 months for certain specialties.
– As the market grows, there will be a greater demand for data volumes, quality of service data, high speed broadband and machine to machine connectivity, on wireline and wireless networks.
– Public and private organizations should continue to push to reform policies that disallow payment to providers offering eVisits.
– Educational, research-based, and non-governmental organizations have the ability to accelerate eVisit adoption by supporting pilot studies and conducting comprehensive evaluations.
– Governments with successful eVisit solutions will be in a position to share their insights about impact and ways to combat legal technical barriers to adoption.
– Healthcare organizations should consider which investments they need to make in EMRs, patient portals and security measures to maximize the benefits of eVisits.
