Cureus: The Impact of Telemedicine and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) on Health Care Delivery: A Comprehensive Evaluation This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of these technologies on healthcare delivery, focusing on patient outcomes, economic parameters, and overall satisfaction. The study found savings in health care costs, improved accessibility to health care services, and a decrease in the frequency of health care utilization. As technology continues to advance and healthcare systems evolve, the integration of telemedicine is poised to play an increasingly vital role in shaping the future of health care delivery. [...]

Health Affairs: Medicare’s Mental Health Problem There is a growing mental health crisis among older adults: 20–30 percent of older adults older than the age of 65 report symptoms of anxiety or depression, and older adults exhibit the highest rate of suicidal ideation of any age group. However, only a fraction of affected Medicare beneficiaries receive treatment. The authors recommend encouraging provider participation in Medicare, policy makers should also consider broader policies to facilitate access. This includes telehealth and cross-state licensing. As highlighted in a recent proposal by the Senate Finance Committee, facilitating greater telehealth access may help mitigate [...]

Drug and Alcohol Dependence: Are Relaxed Telehealth and Take-Home Medication Regulations for Treating Opioid Use Disorder Cost-Effective? A multidisciplinary team of Stanford researchers has found that relaxed guidelines for opioid use disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic were likely not only effective, but cost-effective as well. The authors used a model-based analysis to simulate a cohort of 100,000 individuals receiving medications for opioid use disorder both in the presence and in absence of the proposed regulatory relaxations. The authors note that multiple studies have shown that telemedicine has the same or better chances in retaining OUD patients compared to in-person [...]

Journal of Climate Change and Health: Pediatric Telemedicine Visits Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions A study found that pediatric telehealth use is linked to a substantial reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The study assessed the effects of telehealth use among pediatric patients on travel and, by extension, carbon emissions. University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers found that, starting March 31, 2020, 1.56 million miles roundtrip in travel distance were eliminated. Using an estimate of 22.5 miles per gallon for the average US car, researchers determined that the eliminated travel represented a potential savings of 69,454 gallons of fuel. This equated [...]