Becker's Healthcare November 28, 2018
Telemedicine use remains uncommon, despite more insurers offering coverage of the service, a study publishing JAMA Network reveals.
A team of researchers from Boston-based Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine analyzed claims data from 2005-17 for the study, using information from OptumLabs Data Warehouse, a deidentified claims database for privately insured and Medicare Advantage members enrolled in a large private health plan. Telemedicine visits were grouped into three categories: (1) telemental health, (2) primary care telemedicine and (3) other telemedicine, such as specialty visits.
In total, the researchers analyzed 383,565 telemedicine visits by 217,851 patients.
Here are six study findings:
1. The average age of patients...