Studies & Surveys - Alliance for Connected Care

Research Spotlight

Alliance Board Member Led Study

MedStar Health, Stanford Health Care, Intermountain Healthcare
This AHRQ-funded study analyzed more than four million primary care encounters from MedStar Health, Stanford Health Care, and Intermountain Healthcare through the end of 2021 and found little change in health care utilization as telehealth became widely accessed. Results indicate that telehealth availability does not result in additional primary care visits. In addition, telehealth serves as a substitute for certain in-person encounters.

Medicare Telehealth Analysis

Alliance for Connected Care
A 2019-2021 Medicare claims data analysis commissioned by Alliance for Connected Care and compiled by an independent researcher showed two major findings – first, that there is no evidence of telehealth adding to the total volume of Medicare services, and two, that there is no evidence that patients initiating care through telehealth had a higher need for follow-up visits than patients seeking in-person care – meaning that the care was equally effective.

Studies

Telehealth and Outpatient Utilization: Trends in Evaluation and Management Visits Among Medicare Fee-For-Service Beneficiaries, 2019-2024

medRxiv: Telehealth and Outpatient Utilization: Trends in Evaluation and Management Visits Among Medicare Fee-For-Service Beneficiaries, 2019-2024

Prior to the pandemic, telehealth accounted for just 0.1% of monthly E&M visits but surged to 41.0% in April 2020 before stabilizing between 5.7% and 7.0% in 2023-2024. The average monthly E&M visit rate per 1,000 FFS beneficiaries was 906.8 pre-pandemic and 918.6 post-pandemic. […]

Association Between Telehealth Use and Downstream 30-Day Medicare Spending

medRxiv: Association Between Telehealth Use and Downstream 30-Day Medicare Spending

The objective of this study was to investigate whether healthcare visits initiated by telehealth had higher or lower 30-day spending compared to in-person-initiated visits. The study compared the overall spending, rates of return visits, laboratory tests, and imaging procedures within 30 days for Medicare fee-for-service patients who underwent in-person and […]

Nature Research Intelligence: Several Virtual Care Studies

Nature Research Intelligence: Several Virtual Care Studies

The Nature Research Intelligence released several topic summaries on virtual care including:

Appointment Non-Attendance in Outpatient Health Care Settings – This summary reviewed the impact of telehealth on appointment adherence and found telehealth showed promise in reducing no-show rates.
Tele-Audiology and Hearing Healthcare During the COVID-19 Pandemic – This summary reviewed […]

JMIR: Regulation and Compliance in Telemedicine

JMIR: Regulation and Compliance in Telemedicine

Researchers discussed critical challenges in telemedicine compliance and regulation. They specifically consider obstacles and progress toward solutions in telemedicine law and regulation regarding privacy and security issues, care across state borders, and prescribing over telemedicine in the United States. The findings suggest that simplified policies are needed to keep telemedicine accessible to providers and […]

Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment: Feasibility and Acceptability of the Delivery of a Group Telehealth Intervention for Patients Receiving Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder

Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment: Feasibility and Acceptability of the Delivery of a Group Telehealth Intervention for Patients Receiving Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder

Patients receiving buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), their support persons, and clinic staff were interviewed about their perceptions of a novel group telehealth intervention for support persons and then attended a single […]

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Surveys

Ohio State University: Most Patients Use Devices to Self-Monitor Their Heart Health

Ohio State University: Most Patients Use Devices to Self-Monitor Their Heart Health

Advances in technology have made it increasingly easier for people to self-monitor their heart health whether it’s via a smart device on their wrist or finger or a blood pressure monitor. However, a national survey commissioned by the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that while many […]

FAIR Health: Telehealth Utilization Decreased Nationally and in Every US Census Region in September

FAIR Health: Telehealth Utilization Decreased Nationally and in Every US Census Region in September

According to FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, telehealth utilization decreased nationally and in every US census region in September 2024. Nationally, telehealth claim lines dropped from 4.96 percent of medical claim lines in August to 4.80 percent in September, a decrease of 3.3 percent. At the national […]

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnosis, Treatment, and Telehealth Use in Adults

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnosis, Treatment, and Telehealth Use in Adults

In 2023, an estimated 15.5 million U.S. adults had an ADHD diagnosis, approximately one half of whom received their diagnosis in adulthood. Approximately one third of adults with ADHD take stimulant medication; 71.5 percent had difficulty filling their prescription because the medication was unavailable. […]

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Percentage of Children and Adolescents Who Used Telemedicine During the Past 12 Months

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Percentage of Children and Adolescents Who Used Telemedicine During the Past 12 Months

The percentage of children and adolescents aged 0–17 years using telemedicine during the past 12 months declined from 18.3 percent in 2021 to 14.2 percent in 2023. Telemedicine use declined across all three age groups during this period. In both […]

Office of eHealth Innovation of Colorado: Remote Access: Assessing Telehealth Attitudes and Usage in Northwest Colorado

Office of eHealth Innovation of Colorado: Remote Access: Assessing Telehealth Attitudes and Usage in Northwest Colorado

The Office of eHealth Innovation (OeHI), located within the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, in partnership with Connected Nation (CN), released a new telehealth report titled “Remote access, remote impacts: Assessing telehealth attitudes and usage in northwest Colorado.” OeHI conducted a survey of 800 […]

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