New Manhattan Research Study from Decision Resources Group Helps Marketers Understand How Physicians Are Using Digital Media and Technology in Their Practices

As U.S. healthcare providers reorient their practices to meet outcomes-based incentives, many are looking to patient-facing digital tools to help them meet those goals, according to data from Manhattan Research’s Taking the Pulse U.S. 2014 study. More than a third of physicians said that they had been evaluated or rewarded based on metrics measuring cost of treatment, patient outcomes or referrals over the past year. At the same time, two in five physicians agreed that using digital technology to communicate with patients will improve patient outcomes, and as many said that they have increased their use of digital tools to communicate with patients over the past year.

Key findings on physician digital behavior from Taking the Pulse U.S. 2014 include:

• Physicians are leveraging digital tools with patients: Forty-seven percent of smartphone owners had shown patients images or videos on their devices, and more than a third of physicians had recommended that patients use health apps in the past year.
• Telemedicine and remote care use is small but growing: While video consults are still relatively rare, nearly one quarter of physicians report that they or their teams have communicated with patients through a patient portal over the past year, and more than one in five had done so using secure messaging platforms. More than one in five monitored patients remotely, and those physicians monitored an average 22 patients per month.

Quotes:

• Director of Physician Research James Avallone said: “As we move to an outcomes-based model of healthcare provision in the U.S., remote monitoring and telehealth are going to drive an extension of the point of care. We’re seeing physician attitudes really align with policy.”
• Vice President of Research Monique Levy said: “There’s a perception out there that the shift in focus to population health isn’t yet on physicians’ radar. This data shows physicians are thinking about patient outcomes and indicates an opportunity for companies that can provide them digital tools to help them meet their targets.”