medicare

Annals of Internal Medicine: A New Equilibrium for Telemedicine: Prevalence of In-Person, Video-Based, and Telephone-Based Care in the Veterans Health Administration, 2019–2023 Though audio-only telehealth utilization has largely returned to pre-pandemic levels among veterans, video-based telehealth accounts for 11 percent to 12 percent of outpatient care, a 2,300 percent jump from pre-pandemic levels. Researchers [...]

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): Improving Access to Surgical Care: Safety, Efficacy, and Satisfaction With Postoperative Telehealth A quarter of US Veterans reside in rural communities and are significantly older than their urban counterparts. Providing timely access to care is especially important in this older, independent and medically complex cohort. Routine telehealth for low [...]

JAMA Network: Nurse and Social Worker Palliative Telecare Team and Quality of Life in Patients With COPD, Heart Failure, or Interstitial Lung Disease  A study found receiving care from a palliative telecare team resulted in more improvements in quality of life than usual care among patients with COPD, interstitial lung disease or heart failure. [...]

American Journal of Managed Care: Characterizing Telehealth Use in the US: Analysis of the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey A study published in The American Journal of Managed Care aimed to evaluate patient motivations for using telehealth and patient characteristics associated with telehealth use in 2022. The most common motivation for using telehealth [...]

The Journal of Pediatrics: Impact of Telemedicine on Access to Care for Rural Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth A study conducted by researchers from University of Virginia, UVA Health, and the University of Southern California found that telehealth was associated with lower no-show rates for healthcare visits among transgender and gender-diverse youth in rural areas. [...]

Journal of Medical Internet Research: Evaluating Clinical Outcomes in Patients Being Treated Exclusively via Telepsychiatry A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found clinically meaningful changes in one of two validated outcome measures of depression and anxiety: the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ8) or the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7 (GAD7). Patients were evaluated [...]

Bipartisan Policy Center: The Future of Remote Patient Monitoring The Bipartisan Policy Center issued a report on ways to improve the use of remote monitoring services, ensure equitable access to these services across populations, and enhance data security and privacy standards. BPC argues that payers and providers should refine their approach and maximize appropriate [...]

Nature Mental Health: The Digital Divide in Access to Broadband Internet and Mental Health A study published in Nature Mental Health found that that US counties with low densities of mental health care resources also have a higher percentage of homes without broadband access. There was an average of 7.03 mental healthcare physicians, 10.86 [...]

Cure Today: Telemedicine May Help Advance Care Planning in Vulnerable Patients Researchers from University of Pennsylvania found that the rates of advance care planning were no different for patients with cancer who were seen in-person or via telemedicine, posing virtual visits as a viable option for vulnerable populations. Patients seen in person were more [...]

JAMA Network: Increasing Telehealth Access Through Licensure Exceptions Several researchers from Harvard released a viewpoint article on interstate telehealth. The authors explain how exceptions can be used to connect patients via telehealth with a physician in another state, why this is a more practical and effective strategy, and finally what needs to happen for [...]