Thirty-three percent of U.S. physicians say they have the ability to communicate with patients via email or text messages, according to a recent report by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.
The report found that 24% of U.S. physicians say they provide consumers with Web-based tools to schedule appointments or access test results, 19% say they provide consumers with online tools to order prescription refills, 15% say they have the ability to provide telehealth-based consultations for follow-up or diagnostic visits and 4% say they provide consumers with online information about prices for routine medical services.
The report is based on a 2012 online survey of 613 U.S. primary care and specialist physicians selected from the American Medical Association's master file. The survey respondents reflect the national distribution of physicians in the master file by years in practice, gender, region and medical specialty.
Source: Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, "Physician Adoption of Health Information Technology: Implications for Medical Practice Leaders and Business Partners"