This telehealth abortion clinic has seen a 300% surge in interest since the bombshell news that Roe v. Wade may be overturned

Illustration by Mary Purdie via Choix

There was a 300% increase in interest in the Telehealth abortion clinic's services after the news that the Wade could be overturned.

The Supreme Court could try to overturn the landmark ruling that protects women's right to abortions. If the legislation is overturned, abortion could become illegal in 23 states.

Nurse practitioners and doctors run the telehealth clinic for sexual and reproductive needs.

Telehealth refers to healthcare services that can be offered to patients remotely, including from the comfort of their own home using technology. Telehealth companies can offer remote patient monitoring.

According to data from McKinsey, utilization of these services spiked to 32% in April 2020, as they gained popularity during the Pandemic. The rate was stable between 13 and 17% across all services.

The number of visitors to the website has increased since the leak, as well as increased inquiries about what states it serves.

We are getting a lot of interest. People want to know if they need this care in the future. Cindy Adam said that the surge was about people learning more.

The US government lifted a ban on mail-order abortion pills in April 2021. In December of last year, the FDA decided to allow abortion pills to be delivered by mail instead of requiring it to be administered in person.

Illustration by Mary Purdie via Choix

It will be difficult for patients to get care with the possible overturn of Wade. People could travel out of state to get abortion services.

We are seeing an increase in certain parts of states where it is easier for people to travel. In Southern California and parts of Illinois, it will be the focus of patient travel because it is easier to access care.

Patients don't have to show proof of residency to get access to its services, but they need to confirm their ID with a selfies as part of its intake process. They only have to have an address in the state they serve so that they know patients are getting care there.

It will be an unfair challenge to see how restrictive states are. Adam said that it will be interesting to see how they come after abortion clinics that don't require this of other providers.

Customers can sign up for abortion services by creating a patient portal account, filling out an online medical questionnaire, and signing up for the service. Once a patient submits their online questionnaire, a medical provider will review it and determine eligibility.

If a patient chooses to proceed, they complete final consent forms and their partner pharmacy will mail the prescription for the abortion care medications, which are the exact same medications that a patient would receive if they went to a brick-and-mortar clinic.

Longer wait times for in-person care are being caused by an increase in requests for appointments in states like Illinois.

We hope that our model will help alleviate capacity issues so that we can help reserve in-person visits for patients who really require or who prefer in-person care, Adam said.

There is a knowledge gap around medication abortion, and it is one of the challenges that the clinics face as a newer form of care.

There is a lot of misinformation about the safety of medication abortion.

We still get calls from people who want to make sure that we are real and that a human answers the phone. Adam told Insider that they are so relieved when they hear that we are real.

As understanding about abortion care grows, and as access continues to get more restricted, we anticipate even greater influxes of patient care requests.

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