Telemedicine Could Lower Barriers to Primary Care

Real-time patient access to providers through video visits (telemedicine) could lower barriers to healthcare (e.g., transportation, child care, need for escorts, waiting room time). However, video visits often are provided by commercial entities and are disconnected from the patient's usual source of care and medical record. At Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, patients can use computers or mobile devices for video visits with their usual primary care providers or covering providers. Researchers surveyed ≈1200 adult patients who scheduled video visits; 82% completed their scheduled visits.

Most patients (87%) reported scheduling video visits for convenience; 46% said they were uncertain whether they needed in-person visits. More than…