Bridging the Digital Divide Advancing Telehealth Equity

Massachusetts Association of Health Plans: Bridging the Digital Divide Advancing Telehealth Equity

A report, funded by the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, describes how telehealth has proven to be widely beneficial for state residents and provides recommendations to optimize virtual care delivery within the Commonwealth. Researchers found that there were many apparent health care disparities resulting from the digital divide. Barriers to telehealth access and utilization included the lack of a usual source of primary care, lack of internet connectivity and devices, andlack of understanding of how to use technology. Based on these insights, researchers created a set of recommendations: create federal and state policies to operationalize telehealth infrastructure, establish national standards for health care access portals, and support families who adopt new care modalities.