Health Affairs: We Need National Policies For Voice-Based Telepsychiatry As of April 2024, no federal legislation or guidance has been implemented to establish permanence for telepsychiatry, and specifically for voice-based visits. With all telehealth flexibilities expiring at the end of 2024, in this piece, authors advocate for the permanent adoption and coverage of VBT, illustrate its importance using patient data, and provide recommendations on measures to incorporate it into policies to promote equity. Additionally, the authors encourage national adoption of universal terminology representing voice-based telehealth visits, defined as visits that take place through live real-time vocal interactions without the [...]

AARP: Pandemic-Era Trends in Telehealth Use among Americans with Private Health Insurance AARP released a report, which assessed changes in telehealth use from 2019 to 2021 among people younger than 65 who are enrolled in private, employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) plans, which insure nearly two-thirds of Americans under age 65. It also examined how Americans used telehealth in the first two years of the pandemic and how telehealth use differed by demographic factors such as age, urban versus rural residence, and income, as well as social determinants of health (SDOH) indicators.

Kidney Medicine: Patient Perspectives on Using Telemedicine During In-Center Hemodialysis: A Qualitative Study In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States (US) federal government expanded originating telemedicine sites to include outpatient dialysis units. For the first time, nephrology practitioners across the US could replace face-to-face visits with telemedicine for patients receiving in-center hemodialysis. This study describes patients’ perspectives on the use of telemedicine during in-center hemodialysis. Integrating telemedicine into future in-center hemodialysis care using a hybrid approach could potentially build trust, optimize communication, and augment care.

There are many obstacles to mental health care associated with regulatory restrictions on clinicians delivering services across state lines via audio, video, or other telehealth tools—limitations that adversely affect young people who need a doctor’s support while away from their home state for college, work, and travel. The Ruderman Family Foundation commissioned this white paper to examine these barriers to care and propose policy change grounded in research and a thorough understanding of how current medical licensing restrictions limit access to and continuity of care for young adults.

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE): Trends and Disparities in Pandemic Telehealth Use among People with Disabilities This Issue Brief explores telehealth use for people and Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities. The study used data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) COVID-19 2021 Winter Supplement and 2022 surveys, ASPE’s Medicare Telehealth Trends Dashboard, and the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS).