Telehealth Research, Reports and Surveys
University of North Carolina School of Medicine: Using Telehealth to Regularly Report Symptoms Improved Overall Well-being for Patients with Advanced Cancer (6/9) – According to a multi-state study, people with advanced cancer who communicated their symptoms weekly using an electronic survey had about a one-third better physical function and over a 15 percent better control of their symptoms compared to those who were evaluated less frequently via in-person clinical visits. The study also found high engagement with patients and their care teams. These findings likely reflect how accustomed many patients and providers have become to telehealth and electronic communications.
JAMA Network Open: Perceptions and Use of Telehealth Among Mental Health, Primary, and Specialty Care Clinicians During the COVID-19 Pandemic (6/7) – A recent survey found telehealth utilization rates correspond with how clinicians perceive the effectiveness level, ease of use, and quality of virtual care services. The researchers surveyed clinicians who worked in clinics that specialized in either mental health, primary care, or specialty care. The survey found that mental health respondents were more likely than their primary care and specialty care colleagues to rate video care as having the highest quality. Researchers concluded that the opinions of clinicians regarding the quality of virtual care services had an impact on utilization rates of various telehealth modalities. For additional coverage on these findings, see mHealth Intelligence and Medical Economics.
Business Wire: NOCD Released Peer-Reviewed Study on Behavioral Telehealth on Levels of Treatment Effectiveness, Duration, and Cost Compared to Traditional Treatment (6/7) – NOCD, a telehealth provider for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, released the results of a study on the use of virtual care to provide behavioral health therapy to OCD patients. The researchers found the behavioral telehealth treatment was highly effective, with outcomes similar to traditional in-office Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy in reducing OCD and comorbid symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and stress. The study’s measured impact on symptoms via virtual behavioral health treatment were: 43.4 percent for OCD, 44.2 percent for depression, 47.8 percent for anxiety, and 37.3 percent for stress.
Health Affairs: Interstate Telehealth Use By Medicare Beneficiaries Before And After COVID-19 Licensure Waivers, 2017–20 (6/6) – A study by the University of Michigan analyzed trends in interstate telehealth use by Medicare beneficiaries during 2017-2020, which covered the period both directly before and during the first year of the pandemic. The study found that the number of out-of-state telehealth services from the first quarter to the fourth quarter of 2020 increased by 572 percent, and that a higher percentage of out-of-state telehealth users lived in rural areas (28 percent). Additionally, 64 percent of out-of-state telehealth visits occurred between a patient and clinician in a bordering state. The study also found that most out-of-state telehealth use was for established patient care, suggesting the majority of out-of-state telehealth is used for continuity of care rather than acquisition of new patients. For additional coverage on this study, see Inside Telehealth, mHealth Intelligence, Medical Xpress, Fierce Healthcare, and Medical Economics.
JMIR Publications: Continuation of Teletherapy After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Survey Study of Licensed Mental Health Professionals (6/6) – In this study, researchers examined factors related to continued benefits of teletherapy post-pandemic. The study found that vulnerable groups such as Medicaid beneficiaries, those who seek couples or family counseling, or patients from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to continue to be served by tele-therapy post-pandemic. The study implies that such patients could get left behind in post-pandemic telehealth policies and points to a need to address factors driving telehealth care disparities such as access to technology, housing, health care professional shortages and childcare issues. For additional coverage, see Insider Intelligence.
JMIR Publications: Outpatient Care Among Users and Nonusers of Direct-to-Patient Telehealth – Observational Study
(6/6) – Expansion of telehealth insurance coverage is hampered by concerns that such coverage may encourage excessive use and spending. This paper examined whether users of telehealth services rely more on other forms of outpatient care than nonusers, and to estimate the differences in payment rates. The findings suggest that telehealth visits may substitute rather than add to in-person care for some types of care and may be an as efficient and less costly alternative.
FAIR Health: Mental Health Conditions Remains the Top Telehealth Diagnosis (6/2) – According to the FAIR Health Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, mental health conditions remained a top telehealth diagnosis despite overall declines in telehealth use in March 2022. Social work continued to be the top specialty in telehealth for the second straight month, both regionally and nationally. This indicates that while the decline in telehealth was probably due to an ongoing reduction in the severity and prominence of COVID-19, some conditions and specialties continue to benefit from telehealth services.
JAMA Pediatrics: Association of Race and Socioeconomic Disadvantage with Missed Telemedicine Visits for Pediatric Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic (5/23) – A study in JAMA Pediatrics revealed that a patient’s level of economic disadvantage was associated with missed telehealth appointments among pediatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher probability of economic disadvantage was associated with higher no-show rates for telemedicine visits compared to in-person visits. The lack of improvement in clinic attendance via telehealth may reflect the disproportionate COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors experienced by families using public health insurance and residing in communities with higher poverty rates. The Alliance for Connected Care continues to collect data on telehealth utilization including data broken down by various demographics.
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