Americans have gotten used to seeing their doctors and other health care providers using telehealth video visits in the past four years. But a new study reveals that what a doctor has behind them during a telehealth visit can make a difference in how the patient feels about them and their care.
Category: Telemedicine
New Uses for Telemedicine are Taking America by Storm
The decade that began with Covid is the decade of telemedicine, and we’re not even halfway through the 2020s. One outcome of Covid is that more and more people became comfortable talking to a doctor on the phone. Also, more health plans and Medicare began to accept telemedicine as a normal way to consulting with physicians. Prior to Covid, Medicare did not reimburse telemedicine in most cases. Beginning March 6, 2020 the Trump administration announced telehealth services would be available to seniors across the country.
What difference Has Telemedicine Made?
In 2020, Medicare patients receiving care at health systems in the highest quartile of telemedicine use had 2.5 telemedicine visits per person, compared with 0.7 telemedicine visits per person in the lowest quartile of telemedicine use.
Source: Edited from “Medicare Utilization, Spending, And Quality, 2019–22” in Health Affairs.
Tuesday Links – 19 March 2024
- In testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee, the Alliance for Connected care rebutted three myths:
- Telehealth Does Not Lead to Increased Fraud
- Telehealth Has Not Been Shown to Drive Overutilization
- Telehealth Has Not Been Shown to Increase Spending
- Older patients with diabetes do better if they have the means to pay for care (health insurance, higher income or higher wealth).
- For years contraceptives could only be sold by prescription. People can now buy oral contraceptives on Amazon.