TUESDAY, Jan. 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Only one in 13 older adults has used a direct-to-consumer (DTC) health care service from an online-only provider, according to the results of the latest University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging.
Mark Fendrick, M.D., from the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation in Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted the survey in July and August 2023 and included 2,657 adults aged 50 to 80 years.
According to the results of the survey, 7.5 percent of participants used at least one DTC health care service from an online-only provider, with higher rates for those 50 to 64 years versus those 65 to 80 years (10 versus 4 percent). Nearly half of those who had used a DTC service said it had been for general health care, while 12 percent said it was for mental health reasons. More than half of DTC users (55 percent) liked the convenience, with a similar percentage reporting that the overall quality of care they received from their primary care provider was better than what they received from a DTC provider. One-third of those who had used a DTC service said their primary care provider was not aware they had done so, even among those receiving a new prescription through the DTC health encounter.
“With rapid growth in this sector of health care predicted for this year and beyond, all providers, insurers, and regulators need to pay more attention to how patients are using these services and why, and the impact on care quality and safety,” Fendrick said in a statement.
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