Accuracy of Telehealth Visits for Acute Care Needs in Family Medicine

Abstract

Introduction

As primary care practices transition to a post-pandemic system of healthcare, it is important to recognize the benefits of offering telehealth services. Little research is available on the effectiveness of telehealth visits for managing acute illnesses or conditions in primary care practice.

Methods

Using the reporting functionality in the Epic™ electronic health record (EHR) (Epic Systems Corporation, Verona), a report was generated to identify all telehealth visit encounters that were completed in a family medicine clinic from March 1, 2020, to June 30, 2020. The report identified patients who had an acute complaint and required an in-office visit within 60 days of the telehealth encounter. If the patient required a face-to-face visit, that was not directed...