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August 2024

Telehealth Spotlight Update

Telehealth Workforce Survey Results

Telehealth transformed healthcare when the COVID-19 pandemic started. So much so, that in December 2022, we released our first Spotlight on telehealth in the Minnesota workforce and reviewed the changes (mostly increases) in telehealth utilization by profession, setting, and region. This Spotlight expands on that discussion and shares more recent provider perspectives and insights on telehealth and the healthcare workforce.

The changes in telehealth usage and the expansion of telehealth service options covered by payors that were passed by federal and state government during the pandemic were largely time-limited and assumed to be needed only for the duration of the public health emergency. The Minnesota Telehealth Act that passed in 2021 broadened the scope of telehealth services and ensured that audio-only visits were paid for just like in-person ones. Last year, the Minnesota legislature extended this coverage to June 30, 2025, and asked the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to examine the impact of the changes. This Spotlight shares insights from healthcare providers on how this legislation has affected telehealth accessibility and overall well-being.

In gathering data for this Spotlight, MDH used the Health Care Workforce survey, a survey of Minnesota healthcare providers that seeks details about provider demographics, patient demographics and service locations. Starting in 2021, the survey had included additional questions specific to telehealth.¹ Open-ended feedback from these providers particularly focused on issues of accessibility.^1,2,3

Can telehealth help accessibility?

We began our analysis by looking at how providers responded to the question:

“In your own practice, have you found that telemedicine makes health care more accessible for certain patients, or in certain situations?”

A significant portion of the providers (82%, or 7,951 respondents) agreed that telemedicine has improved access to healthcare for certain patients or in specific scenarios. About half of these respondents (4,001) provided detailed comments on their experiences. The feedback highlighted several benefits to telehealth, including:

• Reducing Travel Barriers: 48% of providers noted telehealth helps overcome issues related to travel and transportation.
• Assisting Specific Populations: 16% mentioned benefits for those with mobility issues, including the elderly, disabled, college students, and those who are homebound.
• Addressing COVID-19 Concerns: 15% found telehealth valuable during the pandemic.
• Monitoring Behavioral Health: 7% reported that telehealth is beneficial for monitoring patients with behavioral health conditions.

Providers also noted personal benefits such as better coordination of care, more flexible scheduling, and improved work-life balance.

Table 1: Percentage of provider responses that endorsed each telehealth accessibility theme. 

Shared voices and community experiences

Providers also emphasized that telemedicine not only makes healthcare more accessible for patients in certain situations but can also improve the quality of care delivery. They noted that this is especially true for those facing physical, geographic, or illness-related barriers to traditional care settings. Respondents were prompted with the following question:

"In your own practice, have you found that telemedicine makes health care more accessible for certain patients, or in certain situations?"

Here is a sampling of some of their responses, grouped by general topics.

Reduce travel and transportation barriers

• [Telehealth] allows families and kids to receive services within their home versus worrying about transportation.

• It has been very beneficial for some of my clients with various barriers to getting to the office like transportation

• Improves equity and access for underserved and unserved populations, reduces barriers to accessing.

Mobility concerns with specific populations

• Works great for following diabetes, depression, and particularly those needing close follow-up.

• I am able to connect with Elders in the villages of Leech Lake Nation

• For certain patients such as elderly folks, and for myself, prefer to stay safe during a snowstorm.

Patient and provider COVID 19 concerns

• Due to COVID-19 people did not want to meet face-to-face and because I serve people in rural MN telehealth was preferred.

• [Telehealth] works well with older adults with mobility issues, easy access for those with COVID or symptoms.

Treatment for behavioral health conditions

• In behavioral health, since COVID, telemedicine and video visits have helped tremendously.

• As the only LICSW (licensed social worker) at my location, I am able to take on more cases all over Minnesota.

• As I live in rural MN. We have a psychiatrist on our team that uses telehealth.

• Patients can do more interventions from home. For example, behavioral activation [practicing certain behaviors, people can activate a positive emotional state] for depression such as taking a walk.

Provider coordination and well-being

• Convenience for all parties, improving engagement rate and outcomes of clients.

• [Telehealth] allows patients to be seen when there is a physician workforce shortage in one location.

• I need to work from home and telemedicine allows me to still do patient care.

• [Telehealth] offers specialty consults without the need to transfer to higher level of care.

• I’m able to reach more clients and its less exhausting.

Visualizing the feedback

To visually summarize provider feedback on how telemedicine has influenced access to care in their practices, a word cloud was created from the 100 most frequently mentioned words in their responses. Commonly cited words included "patient care," "transportation," "access," "COVID," "care," and "clients."

This word cloud highlights the key areas where telemedicine has had a significant impact, according to the providers' experiences.

Seeing it represented this way gives us a different vantage point on telemedicine and the influence it is having on patient care and rural health care.

The Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC) promotes access to quality health care for all Minnesotans. We work as partners with policymakers, providers, and rural and underserved urban communities to ensure a continuum of core health services throughout the state.

651-201-3838

health.orhpc@state.mn.us

Office of Rural Health and Primary Care - MN Dept. of Health (state.mn.us)

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