Table 2. Comparison of Direct-to-Consumer Telemedicine Visits With Primary Care Physician Visits for Urinary Tract Infection, Erectile Dysfunction, and Contraceptiona.
| Characteristic | No. (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Telemedicine visits (n = 30 627) | Primary care physician visits (n = 29 600 000)b | |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 7 442 (24.3) | 10 004 800 (33.8) |
| Female | 23 185 (75.7) | 19 595 200 (66.2) |
| Age, yc | ||
| 18-44 | 22 705 (74.1) | 8 702 400 (29.4) |
| 45-65 | 7 601 (24.8) | 9 531 200 (32.2) |
| >65 | 320 (1.0) | 10 330 400 (34.9) |
| Day of week | ||
| Weekday | 23 001 (75.1) | 29 067 200 (98.2) |
| Weekend | 7 626 (24.9) | NAd |
| Source of payment for visit | ||
| Out of pocket | 30 627 (100.0)e | NAd |
| Insurance (all types) | NA | 26 196 000 (88.5) |
| Otherf | NA | 2 812 000 (9.5) |
| Presence of comorbid conditions | 4 349 (14.2) | 18 884 800 (63.8) |
Abbreviation: NA, not available.
The data source was the authors’ analysis of electronic medical record data from a telemedicine company and survey data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS). Differences in each category are significant (P < .001).
Number of estimated total visits to primary care physicians from January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2016, based on sampling weights for these conditions. This number is based on a sample of 793 records in the data.
One user of a telemedicine visit was younger than 18 years.
Individual estimates based on fewer than 30 sample records were not reported owing to low reliability.
The direct-to-consumer telemedicine company does not accept insurance for patient visit. Insurance may be used for prescription through pharmacy.
Other includes the NAMCS payment categories labeled blank, unknown, other, or no charge/charity.