Telehealth didn’t lead to unnecessary care in 2020, study says

Modern Healthcare: Telehealth didn’t lead to unnecessary care in 2020, study says

According to a study of 40.7 million commercially insured adults with acute clinical conditions published in JAMA Network Open, patients treated for most acute conditions via telehealth were as likely or slightly more likely to need a follow-up visit as those who sought in-person care to start. Telehealth patients with chronic conditions were less likely to need follow-up care. The finding that telehealth resulted in a lower chance of follow-up care for patients with chronic conditions is promising for Medicare beneficiaries, said Krista Drobac, executive director of Alliance for Connected Care. “If the researchers found lower rates of follow up for chronic conditions, that might mean that telehealth in Medicare will yield lower overall follow up because more seniors have chronic conditions.”