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The Rise of Telemedicine: How COVID-19 is Fundamentally Changing the Way Consumers Seek Care

Key Points

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted society, including the way we work and seek medical care, leading to a rapid acceleration in the adoption of telemedicine.
  • Telemedicine has emerged as the primary source of care, with video visits on Solv increasing by 3400% over the past month, and the number of active telemedicine providers increasing by 2425%.
  • In-person visits to urgent care clinics have declined significantly, with walk-in patient traffic down by 57% over the last month, while telemedicine visits are on the rise.
  • The shift to telemedicine has been driven by consumers seeking care from home, providers adapting to meet demand, payers creating reimbursement structures, and government regulations being adapted to support it.
  • It is unclear whether this shift from in-person to telemedicine is temporary or will have a lasting impact on healthcare delivery, but the current acceleration suggests it could fundamentally transform healthcare.
The Rise of Telemedicine: How COVID-19 is Fundamentally Changing the Way Consumers Seek Care

Key Points

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted society, including the way we work and seek medical care, leading to a rapid acceleration in the adoption of telemedicine.
  • Telemedicine has emerged as the primary source of care, with video visits on Solv increasing by 3400% over the past month, and the number of active telemedicine providers increasing by 2425%.
  • In-person visits to urgent care clinics have declined significantly, with walk-in patient traffic down by 57% over the last month, while telemedicine visits are on the rise.
  • The shift to telemedicine has been driven by consumers seeking care from home, providers adapting to meet demand, payers creating reimbursement structures, and government regulations being adapted to support it.
  • It is unclear whether this shift from in-person to telemedicine is temporary or will have a lasting impact on healthcare delivery, but the current acceleration suggests it could fundamentally transform healthcare.

COVID-19 has disrupted every aspect of society—the health and well being of our communities, our collective levels of anxiety, the rhythms of our personal lives, and of course, the way we work. Every industry is being impacted and in many cases, the only thing that seems clear is that it will look very different on the other side of COVID-19.

At Solv, one dramatic shift that we are seeing first hand is the rapid acceleration of telemedicine adoption. We’ve seen unprecedented change in just three weeks—from both patients and providers—that would have previously seemed impossible. And it’s driven by consumers seeking medical care from home as their first choice, providers shifting rapidly to meet the demand, payers creating reimbursement structures, and government adapting regulations to support it all.

Nearly our entire team at Solv is focused on supporting providers and consumers through the COVID-19 crisis, and specifically to enable care through telemedicine at this moment. It’s been incredible to observe and be a part of this widespread adoption.

Telemedicine has emerged as the primary source for care–video visits on Solv grew 3400% over the past month

Today, 1 in 4 Americans are being instructed to shelter in place, and the CDC recommends that everyone uses telemedicine whenever possible. At Solv, consumer telemedicine usage is up nearly 3400% in one month. Providers are rapidly responding to this shift—the number of daily active telemedicine providers on Solv has increased by 2425% in the last 30 days and we have more than double the current number going live in the next week.



It’s been humbling to watch as our partners across the country shift their workflows and motions daily to adjust to the new reality. Things like using telemedicine to assess for drive through COVID-19 testing, so anxious patients don’t risk exposure only to get turned away. We’ve seen urgent care clinics adopt telemedicine in the unfortunate cases where their providers become infected, and in situations where they are able, to treat patients from isolation.

Walk-in visits are in significant decline. Online bookings in slight decline. Telemedicine significantly up.

Not surprisingly, in-person visits to urgent care clinics are on a steep decline across the country. Our data shows that walk-in patient traffic has declined 57% over the last month, while the number of patients who schedule their visit ahead of time has declined slightly less, down 18%. While the visit volume of telemedicine has not made up for this significant decline, we are seeing that one in five users that used telemedicine this past month had previously used Solv for an in-person urgent care visit.

It remains to be seen if this dramatic shift from in-person to telemedicine is a temporary shift or if the ramifications of the COVID-19 outbreak will have a lasting impact on how various types of care is delivered. I think it will be the latter. In this moment, consumers are experiencing telemedicine and discovering the ease by which they can receive quality care; providers are overcoming their concerns; and payers are aligning telemedicine reimbursement so that physicians can actually get compensated for the work that they do. Given the acceleration of telemedicine in this moment, this shift will take hold and fundamentally transform healthcare for all of us.

Frequently asked questions

  • How has COVID-19 affected the adoption of telemedicine?

    The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid acceleration of telemedicine adoption. The shift has been driven by consumers seeking medical care from home, providers shifting rapidly to meet the demand, payers creating reimbursement structures, and government adapting regulations to support it all.
  • What increase in telemedicine usage has Solv seen?

    Solv has seen consumer telemedicine usage increase nearly 3400% in one month.
  • How has the number of active telemedicine providers changed?

    The number of daily active telemedicine providers on Solv has increased by 2425% in the last 30 days.
  • How has the pandemic affected in-person visits to clinics?

    In-person visits to urgent care clinics have seen a steep decline across the country. Walk-in patient traffic has declined 57% over the last month, while the number of patients who schedule their visit ahead of time has declined slightly less, down 18%.
  • How are telemedicine services being used during the pandemic?

    Telemedicine is being used to assess for drive through COVID-19 testing, and to treat patients from isolation in cases where providers have become infected.
  • What is the CDC's recommendation regarding telemedicine?

    The CDC recommends that everyone uses telemedicine whenever possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • What are the potential long-term effects of the pandemic on telemedicine?

    It is possible that the dramatic shift from in-person to telemedicine due to the COVID-19 outbreak will have a lasting impact on how various types of care is delivered. Consumers are discovering the ease of receiving quality care through telemedicine, providers are overcoming their concerns, and payers are aligning telemedicine reimbursement.
  • How does telemedicine reimbursement work?

    Telemedicine reimbursement aligns so that physicians can get compensated for the work that they do. The exact details of the reimbursement can vary and are being adapted to support the increase in telemedicine usage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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