A recent study released by Harvard Medical School (HMS) published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that the average total visit time for typical in-person medical visits was 121 minutes. This total time spent includes 37 minutes in travel time and 84 minutes in the clinic waiting and filing in paperwork.
Of the 84 minutes, only 20 minutes were spent face-to-face with a doctor. HMS estimates that the average opportunity cost per visit was $43 (not including cost of treatment, and co-pays), compared with an average out-of-pocket cost per visit of $32. Overall, employed adults in the United States spent an unnecessary 1.1 billion hours of time and $25 billion annually seeking medical care.
Based on the findings, the HMS researchers concluded it is imperative consider time costs when evaluating their healthcare treatment needs and using new models of care delivery, such as telemedicine visits, e-visits, and other Internet-powered medicine.
The following infographic based on data from consumer telehealth app, Amwell how telehealth visits could save patients time and money in comparison to waiting in your doctor’s waiting room for a visit.
