DrHouse finds school-year telehealth visits far more likely to end with a doctor’s note

New DrHouse research on 5,780 pediatric telehealth visits found that school-year appointments are far more likely to end with documentation than summer visits. The findings point to a hidden cost of sick days for families: more time away from work, school coordination and added pressure to get care fast.

Why it matters: - Sick days can trigger a chain reaction for families, including school documentation, employer notice, childcare changes and missed work. - The findings show how a routine childhood illness can become a school, healthcare and workplace problem at the same time. - The results also raise a broader question for schools, healthcare providers and employers about how to support attendance without adding unnecessary disruption.

What happened: - DrHouse analyzed 5,780 completed pediatric telehealth visits from patients under 18 between February 29, 2024 and August 17, 2026. - 35.9% of children’s visits during the school year ended with a doctor’s note. - 11.3% of children’s visits during summer break ended with a doctor’s note. - The school-year rate was 3.2 times higher than the summer rate. - The study was based on DrHouse users and is not nationally representative of all pediatric healthcare.

The details: - On weekday mornings between 6:00 and 10:00 a.m. during school months, 49.9% of children’s telehealth visits ended with a doctor’s note. - On weekend mornings, 12.2% of visits ended with a note. - The need for documentation rose with age, and 41.9% of telehealth visits among high school-age patients ended with a note. - Schools may ask for medical documentation for extended absences, excused-absence coding, make-up work, return-to-school clearance after contagious illnesses or physical education accommodations. - DrHouse said physicians issue notes at their clinical discretion after an evaluation and when medically appropriate. - The full study, "School Notes in America: What Happens to Children’s Sick Days When the Bell Rings," is available at the full study.

Between the lines: - The data suggest the problem is not just illness, but timing. - When symptoms appear on a school morning, families may need a fast medical visit before school starts or before work begins. - That can be especially difficult for parents with limited healthcare access, transportation barriers or inflexible jobs. - DrHouse CEO Ergo Sooru said telehealth can help reduce unnecessary disruption while keeping the child’s health at the center of the decision. - Dr. Rob Chandler, a physician with DrHouse, said requiring an in-person visit for a minor or improving illness can create financial and scheduling strain.

What’s next: - The findings may push schools, providers and employers to reconsider how documentation rules affect families. - DrHouse will likely continue positioning telehealth as a faster path to evaluation and, when appropriate, school documentation. - The study’s release could add momentum to broader conversations about attendance policy and access to care.

The bottom line: - For many families, a child’s sick day now means more than rest at home. It can mean a race to secure a note, rearrange work and keep school requirements on track without leaving home.