Research Articles and Papers

This study introduces a learning collaborative designed to facilitate telemedicine implementation among outpatient clinicians in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The collaborative involved a diverse group, with participants from primary care (71%), rural settings (51%), and community health centers (28%). This collaborative demonstrated a model to rapidly disseminate knowledge during emergencies.

This research study compared rates of emergency department (ED) physician-related medication errors among critically ill children receiving either video telemedicine or telephone consultations. The results indicated no statistically significant differences in medication errors between the two consultation methods.

This study reveals widening disparities in telehealth utilization among Medicare beneficiaries from 2019 to 2020, particularly among minority groups, rural residents, and dual Medicare/Medicaid eligible beneficiaries, with differences increasing as the number of chronic conditions rises. These findings underscore the challenge of ensuring equitable access to telehealth services, as those with the greatest health care needs may face barriers to utilization.

Patient engagement through secure messaging in digital patient portals is linked to improved diabetes outcomes, yet disparities in use exist among older patients and racial and ethnic underserved groups. This study explored whether involving care partners could address disparities. The study found that those with care partners tend to use secure messaging more frequently and initiate messaging earlier.

This study examined the availability and characteristics of telehealth for major depressive disorder, general anxiety disorder, and schizophrenia across mental health treatment facilities in the US. The findings reveal that while telehealth availability did not differ by clinical condition or patient demographics, variations were observed at the facility, county, and state levels.

This research study explored clinical effectiveness and telehealth utilization for mental health and substance use disorder management, particularly for underrepresented groups. Findings reveal disparities in telehealth utilization, notably among rural residents, older individuals, and Black/African American minorities.

This study examines the utilization of telemedicine modalities, particularly phone and video visits, in an urgent care setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings suggest significant differences in utilization based on patient demographics.

This study examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the utilization of telemedicine among mental health providers. Findings reveal a significant increase in daily telemedicine use during the pandemic, with more than half of providers' caseloads being served remotely. The study highlights a general increase in comfort with telemedicine and provider expectation for continued use post-pandemic.

This scoping review examines pregnancy-related telehealth interventions, indicating a growing body of literature on the subject since 2011. While most studies focused on synchronous interaction between providers and patients, outcomes primarily assessed maternal/infant health, patient satisfaction, and attendance/compliance. The study highlighted the need for further research on telehealth's impact on patient satisfaction, health disparities, and cost-benefit in pregnancy-related care.

This study investigated the impact of clinical video telehealth on health care utilization and mortality among older Veterans with chronic conditions like congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and diabetes mellitus (DM). Clinical video telehealth was associated with increased emergency department visits across all conditions but its association with inpatient admissions and mortality varied.

This study worked to identify medication safety challenges for children with medical complexity and to develop requirements for a mobile health app to address the challenges. Future steps include piloting the tools to evaluate usability and effectiveness in reducing medication errors.

This research explores internet usage among older adults with Medicare. The study reveals disparities in internet access, with higher rates among White individuals, younger age groups, those with higher education levels and better health and lower usage among minority groups, older individuals, and those with limited income and assets.

This research study investigates the impact of telemedicine use on the quality of care for adults with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension. Telemedicine use was associated with lower odds of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) monitoring for adults with type 2 diabetes and lower odds of blood pressure testing for those with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension. The study suggests that additional measures may be necessary to ensure high-quality care.

This review looked at telehealth in diabetes prevention programs for older adults. The study found that diabetes prevention programs using telehealth are beneficial for increasing program reach, program impact, and social support, including for underserved populations.

This research study aims to address the inpatient to outpatient transition by proposing a telehealth follow-up visit after hospital discharge and evaluating beliefs of this approach. Through interviews with pediatric hospitalists, senior residents, and caregivers, the study identified three primary themes: the potential benefits of telehealth follow-up visit after hospital discharge, the need for it to enhance current practices rather than replace them, and concerns about workflow challenges and resource limitations.

The study investigates the impact of the shift to telehealth for Part C early intervention EI services at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. All surveyed providers reported changes in service aspects and approximately half of surveyed caregivers reported that satisfaction with services remained the same.

This research investigates the growth of telehealth availability in outpatient mental health treatment facilities across the US from 2015 to 2020, examining differences by state urbanicity and rurality. The study found that telehealth adoption increased rapidly during this period, with more significant growth in urban areas compared to rural. There were substantial variations among states, suggesting a need for tailored approaches to address the unique challenges faced by different populations and regions.

This study investigated child welfare professionals' perspectives on providing family-based interventions through telehealth to foster youth in out-of-county placements. The professionals identified various factors influencing intervention delivery including environmental, predisposing, enabling, and need.

This study examined buprenorphine initiation and retention among people who inject drugs with opioid use disorder who received a telehealth intervention in a harm reduction setting. There was a 58.7% three-month retention rate for buprenorphine among participants. This study found that harm reduction settings may be a suitable venue for telehealth interventions.

This study used a home-based exercise intervention, including telehealth sessions and personal activity trackers, to enhance physical fitness for liver transplant candidates. Results showed significant improvements in the Liver Frailty Index and the 6-minute walk test, demonstrating the potential benefits of telehealth for liver transplant candidates.

This study explores telehealth for delivering early integrated palliative care (EIPC) to patients with advanced lung cancer. A survey of palliative care clinicians highlights positive perceptions of telehealth, with many agreeing that telehealth enhances access. Clinicians noted some barriers to telehealth use at the patient, organization, and system level.

This study examines telemedicine utilization among rural and urban veterans receiving care from the Veterans Health Administration (VA), finding that while most patients have internet access, rural patients are less likely to have had a telemedicine visit. Both rural and urban patients recommend technology training to improve telemedicine access.

This research describes the development and implementation of a community-based organization pre-exposure prophylaxis (CBO-PrEP) telehealth program to address barriers faced by Latinx sexual minority men. The program established protocols for referrals, insurance coverage, and appointments. The results indicate that CBO-PrEP successfully engaged the target population, with a high percentage undergoing laboratory testing and receiving PrEP prescriptions, showcasing the potential impact of collaborative approaches.

This study investigated the relationship between social determinants of health and the adoption of remote patient monitoring (RPM) for chronic disease management. The study found that both rural and urban hospitals near households with lower middle socioeconomic status are less likely to have adopted RPM when compared with their counterparts near households with the highest socioeconomic status. The findings underscore the importance of addressing disparities in access to RPM services.

This retrospective cohort study conducted at a large urban hospital-based primary care practice and an affiliated community health center aimed to assess the association of diagnostic loop closure (completion of recommended tests and specialty referrals) for telehealth visits compared to in-person visits. The findings revealed that rates of diagnostic loop closure were low across all visit modalities with patients with telehealth visits less likely to close the loop compared to those with in-person visits.

This study evaluated the association between remote patient monitoring (RPM) use and patient outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older with hypertension. RPM use was associated with reduced hazards of mortality and hospitalizations. However, there was an increase in cardiovascular-related outpatient visits, suggesting potential benefits and trade-offs of RPM implementation in managing hypertension in older adults.

This study focused on telehealth experiences for a primary care, pediatric weight management intervention. The results highlight the importance of a combination of in-person and virtual visits to align with patient and provider preferences, with specific considerations for those with limited English proficiency.

This study assesses the safety and feasibility of implementing telehealth and remote clinical trial operations in gynecologic oncology during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found virtual provider visits and off-site laboratory testing increased during the telehealth period. While minor protocol deviations increased, major deviations and adverse events remained of low incidence and did not differ.

This cohort study investigates the impact of telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health care for Medicare beneficiaries with serious mental illnesses. The study categorizes practices based on telemedicine use and compares changes in care patterns and quality metrics. The findings indicate that practices with higher telemedicine use saw an increase in mental health visits per year compared with prepandemic levels, with no significant changes observed in other quality metrics.

This study compares direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine and in-person visits for urinary tract infections (UTIs) and sinusitis, analyzing rates of testing, follow-up care, and quality. The study finds that DTC telemedicine coverage is associated with reductions in antibiotics for sinusitis and laboratory tests for UTI, without changes in overall office and outpatient visits or emergency department visits.

This study investigates utilization of telemedicine for breast and prostate cancer patients. The findings underscore specific contexts where providers and patients use telehealth.

This retrospective cohort study examined the outcomes of telemedicine versus in-person care for initiating transmucosal buprenorphine treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found that telemedicine initiation was associated with better 90-day retention in buprenorphine treatment and was not associated with an increased risk of opioid-related nonfatal overdose.

This study looked at individuals with hypertensive disorders or pregnancy and compared blood pressure ascertainment within 10 days of postpartum discharge using in-office blood pressure assessment versus remote patient monitoring. The study found that those using remote monitoring showed significantly higher rates of blood pressure ascertainment compared to the in-office group. Remote monitoring had no significant differences in readmission rates or initiation of antihypertensive medications post-discharge, suggesting that remote monitoring has the potential to enhance postpartum care.

This study analyzed the adoption of telehealth by rural hospitals and its impact on their financial performance from 2009 to 2019. Findings suggest that telehealth adoption was influenced by hospital and community characteristics, with factors such as hospital ownership, patient demographics, and insurance status playing significant roles. The study found that rural hospitals adopting telehealth exhibited better financial performance over the 11-year period compared to non-adopters, indicating potential benefits for sustainability and service provision in rural health care settings.

This research study investigated the association of patient and visit characteristics with telehealth modality in cardiology clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found disparities in video-based telehealth for older patients, Black patients, those with limited English proficiency, and Medicaid recipients. Further research is needed to understand barriers and outcomes related to telehealth among diverse populations.

The study investigated the impact of clinical pharmacists and health coaches utilizing telehealth on hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels for African American and Latinx patients with type 2 diabetes. The study found that, among participating patients, HbA1c levels improved, suggesting that this telehealth intervention can improve blood glucose levels in the studied populations.

This study focuses on addressing the multifaceted needs of older veterans with multiple health conditions through a telehealth program. Qualitative interviews with program participants identified areas for improvement and adaptation.

This research focused on the integration of telemedicine and remote patient monitoring (RPM) in oncology practices since the onset of COVID-19, particularly in treatment trials. A survey was conducted to assess experience and comfort levels with telemedicine and RPM. The findings suggest that while telemedicine and RPM has been increasingly used in cancer treatment trials, there is a higher level of researcher comfort compared to real-world experience.

This study evaluated the impact of implementing telemedicine critical care on risk-adjusted mortality in adult intensive care units at academic medical centers. The study found that, overall, there was a slight decrease in risk-adjusted mortality after telemedicine critical care implementation, although not statistically significant. However, a subgroup of patients with a history of lower performance in ICU care experienced a significant reduction in standardized mortality ratio and risk-adjusted mortality, while the higher-performing patient group showed no significant changes.

This cohort study investigated the telehealth use in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study revealed that telehealth adoption in SNFs significantly increased in early 2020 and gradually stabilized at a higher rate than before the pandemic. Importantly, higher telemedicine use in SNFs was linked to improved access to psychiatry visits.

This study examines trends in mental health service utilization and spending before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the acute phase of the pandemic, in-person visits decreased and telehealth visits increased. In the post-acute phase, telehealth visits stabilized and in-person visits increased, resulting in overall mental health service utilization being higher than before the pandemic by August 2022.

This study investigated telehealth disparities among prostate cancer survivors. One-third of survivors had used telehealth, with 10% considering it comparable to in-person visits. Those with lower education were less likely to use telehealth and less likely to feel inclined to use it, highlighting the importance of addressing these disparities.

This study compared telehealth-related discussions on social media before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both of the platforms reviewed exhibited a surge in discussions related to telehealth during the pandemic, with one focusing more on news and services and one involving more user discussions and inquiries about using telehealth for therapy or counseling. The findings highlight the evolving discourse on telehealth in social media and suggest platform-specific differences in how telehealth is perceived and discussed by users.

This research study examines the experiences of primary care clinicians with telemedicine during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents noted initial telehealth implementation challenges due to infrastructure and reimbursement issues. Over time, clinicians' attitudes toward telemedicine improved, with many considering it an important tool alongside in-person care.

This study aimed to understand patient refusals of hospital-at-home during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. The study highlights the need to improve education about hospital-at-home and to address domestic barriers and diagnostic challenges.

This study examines the prevalence of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) receipt among US adults with past-year opioid use disorder (OUD). The study found that despite guidelines recommending MOUD, around 1 in 5 adults with past-year OUD received any form of MOUD. Disparities were identified, particularly among Black adults, women, the unemployed, and those in nonmetropolitan areas, who were less likely to receive MOUD. Those who used telehealth for substance use treatment were more likely to have received MOUD.

This article proposes a framework to identify barriers to decentralized clinical trials, including those related to policies and regulations governing virtual care.

This research evaluates telehealth delivery in an occupational therapy intervention for young adults with diabetes. Preliminary results suggest that telehealth clients experienced significant improvements in occupational performance, satisfaction, and health management, with high levels of satisfaction.

This report analyzes state Medicaid telehealth policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic through May 2022. The study reviews both temporary and permanent state Medicaid telehealth policies to provide insight into the evolving landscape of telehealth regulation.

This research study investigates advanced practice RNs' experiences with telehealth before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey found that while a majority of respondents did not use telehealth before the pandemic, half of them began using it daily during the pandemic. The study highlights the challenges and benefits of telehealth adoption and suggests that telehealth is likely to remain an integral part of health care, emphasizing the need for recommendations for advanced practice RN.

This research study investigates factors influencing the provision of remote patient monitoring (RPM), finding that 40% of hospitals reviewed offered RPM. Positive associations were observed with hospital participation in clinically integrated networks and private, non-profit ownership, while negative associations were noted with critical access hospital designation, for-profit ownership, and location in the South.

This research study examines the variation in telemedicine adoption among primary care physicians. While overall telemedicine use declined over time, about 32.5% of physicians continued to provide relatively high rates of telemedicine services. Physician preferences had an impact on telemedicine adoption, with individual physicians explaining 7.7% of the variation in telemedicine use, highlighting the role of physician behavior in patient access to telehealth services.

The research demonstrates that telehealth is effective for pediatric occupational therapy and that remote parent coaching provides benefits for parents and infants. The study evaluated telehealth-delivered observational autism screening tool for infants, with parents achieving an 82% adherence rate to the fidelity checklist. This study suggests that a parent coaching telehealth approach may be valid for pediatric telehealth assessments.

Medicare beneficiaries faced increased mental health concerns with limited access to mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study compared rural and urban Medicare fee-for-service beneficiary use of telemental health from 2019 to 2020. The analysis found a significant rise in telemental health use for both groups, with urban residents benefiting disproportionately. Among rural beneficiaries, older age was linked to lower telemental health use, indicating a need to address barriers.

This research focuses on the differences in utilization of video telehealth for mental health care among American Indian/Alaska Native veterans and non-American Indian/Alaska Native veterans. The study reveals increased telehealth use across all veteran groups but noted a significant difference in telehealth use among rural and urban populations, especially among American Indian/Alaska Native veterans.

This study aimed to explore the prevalence and perceptions of telehealth services among occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) in oncology. The findings indicate that despite limited access prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of OTPs in oncology settings support telehealth use, with the highest endorsement relating to accessibility. Telehealth-delivered occupational therapy treatments in oncology were considered well-suited for areas such as education, quality of life, and psychosocial interventions.

This study examines ambulatory antibiotic prescribing in an integrated health delivery system from 2016 to 2019. The study reveals the need for ambulatory stewardship interventions focused on all antibiotic prescribing.

The article examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and their use of telehealth. While a majority of APRNs did not utilize telehealth before the pandemic, its use significantly increased during the pandemic, with half of the respondents incorporating telehealth into their daily practice. The findings highlight both the barriers faced, such as limited access to technology for certain populations, and the benefits observed, including improved patient access to care. The study emphasizes the need for enhanced APRN education, policy, and practice to ensure expanded health care access.

This study looked at students receiving primary care or urgent care services from school-based telehealth programs. Of the students seeking primary care telehealth services, 67.7% did not have a primary care provider outside of the school. The availability of both primary care and urgent care telehealth services in the school allowed most students to return to the classroom without the need for further follow-up.

This research examines Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) use of telehealth from 2019 to 2021 by beneficiary characteristic, visit specialty, and geography. This report found telehealth use among Medicare FFS beneficiaries in 2021 continued to be far above pre-pandemic levels, but lower than at the peak of 2020. Telehealth use in 2021 remained highest for behavioral health compared to non-behavioral health among Medicare FFS beneficiaries. The analysis found audio-only eligible telehealth comprised about one quarter of Medicare FFS telehealth in both 2020 and 2021. This report notes a wide variation across states in use of telehealth for Medicare FFS beneficiaries.

This study aimed to investigate the associations between state policies and the availability of telehealth services at outpatient mental health treatment facilities. The state policies studied, payment parity, reimbursement for audio-only, participation in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, and participation in the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, were associated with expansion of telehealth availability for mental health care at mental health treatment facilities.

This systematic review evaluates postpartum care within the first year after pregnancy, focusing on alternative health care delivery strategies and extension of health insurance coverage. Findings suggest that certain factors, such as where health care was provided (by telephone or in clinic), may not impact depression or anxiety symptoms. More research is needed to improve postpartum care, especially for individuals at higher risk of complications.

This study assessed the implementation of telehealth-supported stewardship activities in Veterans' Administration medical centers acute-care and long-term care units. The program resulted in reductions in antibiotic use in long-term care units but not in smaller acute-care units.

This study investigated the utilization of telepsychiatry among children enrolled in Medicaid before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings revealed a significant increase in telehealth usage, while overall mental health service utilization declined.

This research study examines management strategies for postpartum hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, emphasizing home blood pressure (BP) monitoring, pharmacological treatment, and magnesium sulfate regimens. Results show that home blood pressure monitoring likely improves BP measurement adherence and decreases disparities between non-Black and Black patients in adherence to recommended BP surveillance.

Telehealth services expanded to help primary care providers connect to assisted living facility residents with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study found that while Black and Hispanic assisted living facility residents and those in assisted living facilities with a higher proportion of duals were less likely to use telehealth early in the pandemic these racial and ethnic or socioeconomic differences did not persist.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of noninvasive telemonitoring and nurse telephone coaching as a post-discharge strategy for heart failure patients, with a focus on how comorbidity burden influences its impact. The study reveals that noninvasive telemonitoring and nurse telephone coaching improved survival among heart failure patients with a high comorbidity burden.

This review explored the utilization of telehealth for hypertension and cardiovascular disease management, with a specific emphasis on social determinants of health and health disparities. The findings suggest that telehealth is comparable to in-person care for blood pressure and cardiovascular disease management.

This research conducted a scoping review of reviews on digital health and telehealth interventions in cancer care. The results showed that while many reviews summarized interventions for cancer patients, there were notable gaps in addressing older adults, bereavement, and sustainability, as well as limited comparisons between telehealth and in-person care.

This study investigates the impact of home telehealth monitoring on hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) visits, and mortality in veterans aged 65 and older with congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or diabetes mellitus (DM). The results show that the initiation of home telehealth monitoring was associated with increased ED visits but no change in hospitalizations. Those with CHF or DM had lower all-cause mortality while those with COPD had higher health care utilization and all-cause mortality.

This study focuses on the feasibility of implementing a care coordination model involving telemedicine for medication treatment of opioid use disorder (MOUD) in rural settings. The intervention involved establishing referral and coordination between rural clinics and a telemedicine provider. Results indicated that implementing the care coordination model led to an increase in patient-days on MOUD, particularly in clinics with limited MOUD capacity. This suggests that the model is most effective in expanding access to MOUD in rural areas where resources for MOUD are limited.

This research study explores the relationship between care continuity and the quality of diabetes and hypertension care in community health centers (CHCs) both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the mediating effect of telehealth. The study found that higher care continuity is associated with telehealth use and A1c testing.

This report includes trends in national telehealth utilization from 2021 to 2022. Results show that while overall telehealth use remains steady, disparities in video telehealth use exist among different populations and insurance types.

The study examines the barriers and facilitators for the sustainability and expansion of a model of telehealth care, telemental health video. The findings showed overall satisfaction, with increased comfort for patients in discussing difficult topics, and benefits for clinicians in terms of cross-coverage and safety. Adequate infrastructure and workforce capacity are crucial to ensure successful uptake of this model.

This study qualitatively assesses the benefits and challenges of telehealth for managing chronic non-cancer pain, opioid use disorder, and multi-morbidity in urban safety net primary care patients. Factors such as patient burden, communication and technology challenges, pain control, opioid misuse, and medical complexity should be considered when making decisions about continuing or expanding telehealth services.

This study analyzed trends in prenatal telehealth visits during pregnancy and identified patient characteristics associated with the number of prenatal telehealth visits. The findings showed prenatal telehealth utilization increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study used county-level data to assess the association between broadband access and telehealth utilization in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings show decreased telehealth utilization in rural areas and indicates the importance of broadband access for health care access.

This study compared behavioral health services for in-person and telehealth cohorts and examined relative value units (RVU) and payment. Behavioral health services provided by telehealth used services with lower RVUs than behavioral health services provided in-person, on average, even after adjusting for patient demographics and diagnosis.

The study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a remote hypertension management program. The study found that the remote clinical management program delivered significant improvements in blood pressure control and increased home blood pressure monitoring despite disruptions in traditional care.

This research study examines the changes in patient and treatment characteristics in telehealth and in-person behavioral health services. The study found health care providers adjusted both telehealth and in-person service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study examines how Whole Health coaches adapted to using telehealth to engage rural Veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying advantages and gaps. Findings emphasize the need for a blended approach that integrates virtual, in-person, and lower-tech options.

This scoping review examines remote patient monitoring (RPM) studies and reimbursement policies in the United States. Findings show a significant increase in RPM-related literature from 2015 to 2021, with cardiovascular diseases among the most studied. Future research on RPM should focus on outcomes and trends in reimbursement policies.

This study focuses on the implementation of a telemedicine program for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and substance use disorders in community obstetric and pediatric clinics. Barriers to implementation included practical challenges such as staffing, space, and technology support, while facilitators included the high demand for mental health and substance use disorder services and the commitment of clinics to address these health concerns. The study highlights the importance of addressing resource and technology needs, while leveraging clinics' commitment to women's health, to ensure successful implementation of telemedicine programs.

This study examined the association between receipt of telehealth services and medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) and fatal drug overdoses before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among Medicare beneficiaries. The study found that the receipt of OUD-related telehealth services, receipt of medications for OUD from opioid treatment programs, and receipt of buprenorphine in office-base settings were all associated with reduced risk for fatal drug overdose.

This goal of this study was to understand the characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries who received telephone-only telehealth visits when both telephone and video options were available. Results show Medicare beneficiaries often reported being offered or choosing telephone-only visits even when video visits were available.

Telemedicine adoption gradually rose prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the field saw a significant increase during the pandemic as a way for physicians to provide health services while limiting patient exposure to the virus. The widespread use of telemedicine could impact the quality, cost, and accessibility of health care, so it's important to understand its usage. This data brief documents rates of telemedicine use by office-based physicians, the types of tools used, physician characteristics, satisfaction levels, and plans to continue using telemedicine beyond the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the widespread availability of telemedicine services for children from primary care practices. This study is specifically focused on children who typically receive medical services in person while identifying factors that are linked to the usage of telemedicine services provided by primary care providers. Research outcomes reveal that promoting access to primary care, ensuring payment for primary care telemedicine, and removing obstacles in non-metropolitan areas can all contribute to the equitable use of primary telemedicine care for children.

This study investigates the quality of primary care delivered via telehealth in relation to equity among older adults across race and ethnicity in provider-shortage urban areas. The study examines the documentation of 4M (what matters, mobility, medication, and mentation) and self-reported racial and ethnic backgrounds in Southern Nevada. The findings indicate disparities, such as reduced documentation for what matters among Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders and mobility among Black individuals.

The COVID-19 pandemic had extensive consequences, including increased psychological distress and alcohol consumption, which created heightened challenges particularly for disadvantaged communities. To mitigate the impact of lockdowns, medical office closures, and fear of transmission, telehealth services were expanded early in the pandemic to provide continued access to health care. This study investigates the accessibility of general and behavioral health care services and disparities during the first year of the pandemic.

The way healthcare services are provided has transformed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which created an opportunity to advance telemedicine by formalizing clinical guidance. In this study, researchers aim to outline the delivery of substance use disorder (SUD) treatments and services through telemedicine along the continuum of care in the United States since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This review summarizes telemedicine-based delivery, including screening/assessment, prescription, monitoring, recovery support and other related services.

There is limited understanding and knowledge about the potential consequences of the rapid shift to telehealth for opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between telemedicine utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic and indicators of OUD treatment quality. The results of this study indicate that patients who were treated by clinicians with both high and low levels of telemedicine usage had comparable clinical outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, which suggests that telemedicine is a viable substitute for in-person OUD care.

This study focuses on the use of telehealth during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the clinical outcomes and characteristics of patients who utilized digital health services. Patients utilizing telehealth and telemedicine services are more likely to be young to middle-aged, female, White, of higher socioeconomic status, and living in urban settings.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) providing integrated behavioral health (IBH) services shifted to deliver care via telehealth. FQHC administrators reported that telehealth was essential and addressed workforce issues but noted concerns around payment parity and reimbursement and the impact on core components of IBH.

Nursing homes implemented telehealth services to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study found an increase in telehealth adoption. Training, integrated equipment, and staff presence during visits was identified as telehealth facilitators. Barriers included smartphone usage, billing issues, interoperability, and staffing challenges.

The goal of this research is to examine the outcomes in patient symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results show no clinical or statistical difference in depression or anxiety symptoms between patients treated via telehealth and in-person.

With the expansion and increase of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians and patients faced the challenge of acclimating to virtual care through video visits. The study investigates the visit attendance for patients, comparing outcomes of those who received navigator outreach to those who did not. The results show visit attendance improvement for video visits after telehealth navigator outreach.

Rural health care is an ongoing research focal point as remote care, remote patient monitoring, and telehealth services continue to expand nationwide. This study assesses health care disparities, benefits, and the utilization of telehealth-supported provider-to-provider communication in rural populations through a systemic review of observational studies. Researchers assessed trials and observational studies from several medical databases to determine barriers for rural provider-to-provider collaboration, evidence gaps, and the key takeaways from their findings.

This research highlights that state Medicaid programs have significant discretion in services delivered via telehealth. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all states and the District of Columbia utilized telehealth flexibilities provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Some states made telehealth flexibilities permanent, while others let them expire. Additional research is needed to assess the impact of increased telehealth utilization in Medicaid on access to care, utilization rates, and quality of care.

This research brief provides a comprehensive analysis of the disparities in children's mental health services utilization across racial and ethnic groups. The report finds an increase in telehealth for mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase was not large enough to combat the overall decrease in mental health care, which disproportionately affected minority children.

This research study explores the potential of using miniaturized sensors and other technologies to collect physiological and functional data directly from pediatric patients participating in clinical trials. The review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies in various pediatric diseases, highlighting the need for more reports on their use in this population. While the objective and frequent measurements provided by digital health technology offer opportunities to enhance drug evaluation in infants and young children, challenges remain in selecting the appropriate design, metrics, and sensors for each disease.  

In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established a telehealth unit as part of its COVID-19 emergency response and a CDC telehealth workgroup. The workgroups identified ways that telehealth can benefit public health including increasing access to reduce health disparities, enhancing disease management and preventative care, and triaging care to ensure appropriate use of health services.

Telehealth has the potential to empower older adults to have more autonomy over their health, but they are less likely to use telehealth. This research study focuses on an education program targeting vulnerable, low-income, minority older adults. Results show that the program increased their confidence in accessing and using telehealth, resulting in improved health promotion and achieving the aim of promoting telehealth use among this population.  

This research study addresses the need for comprehensive evaluation of telehealth outcomes and performance, considering access to care, cost, experience, and effectiveness. The study emphasizes the understudied aspects of telehealth accessibility and accommodations and highlights the importance of establishing an evaluation system for telehealth outcomes.

This study addresses poorly controlled type 2 diabetes by comparing simple and comprehensive telehealth interventions. The trial shows that comprehensive telehealth is more effective than telemonitoring and care coordination, improving outcomes for patients at a reasonable cost. These findings suggest that implementing comprehensive telehealth could enhance diabetes care.

This research study analyzed HIV care appointments at an urban tertiary hospital to assess the uptake of telehealth and sociodemographic variations in utilization among people with HIV. The findings indicated age and racial differences in terms of in-person versus telehealth appointments.

The goal of this study is to assess the technical feasibility and acceptability of using telehealth for palliative care consultations in nursing homes. The findings demonstrated that palliative care video visits were well-received, with participants expressing comfort, improved communication, and potential future use, highlighting the value of telehealth as a cost-effective means to enhance access to palliative care services in nursing homes.

This systematic review looked for studies that compare use and outcomes of in-person and telehealth care for chronic care management of congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Telehealth services have been utilized in type 1 diabetes (T1D) clinical care for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated adoption and sparked interest in long-term integration into routine care. This review examines the existing literature on telemedicine in T1D care, highlighting its benefits and barriers. The findings indicate that telehealth can effectively contribute to improved glycemic control and long-term outcomes in T1D and it is anticipated that future care models will adopt a hybrid approach combining both in-person and telehealth visits.

This study focuses on the integration of telehealth services for emergency departments in rural areas and highlights gaps in the implementation and long-term utilization. Researchers administered semi-structured interviews from six U.S. health care systems that provided emergency telehealth services. Results include necessary implementation factors in strategies, capability, relationships, financials, protocols, environment, service characteristics, and accountability.

The study aimed to investigate the discrepancy in the adoption of telestroke and pediatric telehealth services in emergency departments. The researchers hypothesized that differences in financial incentives, prehospital routing policy, and certification requirements could have contributed to the uneven adoption. The study shows the most frequently indicated reason for adoption of telehealth services was related to clinical care.

This study aimed to understand the preferences of gynecologic cancer survivors for telehealth cancer care. Over half preferred in-person visits. Many noted concerns about missing out on physical examination during telehealth visits. The study highlights the need for careful evaluation of patient concerns and education to develop future care models that include telehealth elements for gynecologic cancer survivors.

Although telehealth utilization has rapidly increased within the past years, disadvantaged groups still face barriers to access. This is a retrospective study that analyzes outpatient medical encounters for patients using a national electronic medical record database from March 1 to December 31, 2020. Findings show that older and non-Hispanic Black patients had significantly lower levels of telehealth utilization than other patient groups.

Due to significant provider shortages, challenges exist for patients attempting to receive behavioral health services especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, researchers collected data from students in fifteen school-based telehealth programs in rural areas nationwide. Results of the study show increased utilization and implementation of telebehavioral services in school-based programs as a direct response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic made telehealth an essential service for health care access which led to the development of temporary policies with varying definitions and regulations by state and organization. Currently, more permanent guidelines are being established which has provided an opportunity to re-evaluate how telehealth is integrated into regular health care delivery. By defining a clear understanding of telehealth and its components, the clinical care can improve and more precise control and expectations for researchers, patients and providers can be implemented.

This study investigates how patient characteristics influenced the choice between video and audio-only telehealth appointments. The analysis of almost one million patient-scheduled primary care telehealth visits found that 39% were video visits. Patients who were Black or Hispanic, living in lower socioeconomic status or areas with limited internet access, were less likely to opt for video visits. Patients aged 65 or older, those with previous video visit experience or mobile portal access, or those seeing their own provider were more inclined to choose video visits. The research highlights a digital divide and underscores the importance of maintaining telephone telemedicine options.

Temporary telehealth policies were developed by various organizations and states during the COVID-19 emergency, with varying definitions, regulations, and coverage. As these policies are being replaced with more permanent guidelines, there is an opportunity to form a consensus in definitions to set a standard of care.  

Disasters of all scales are a recurring issue and challenge for the health care systems, especially for providers and hospitals nationwide. The utilization of telemedicine is a direct response to improve access to health care during disasters, which is referred to as disaster telemedicine. This study focuses on literature that provides insight and response recommendations into the current use of disaster telemedicine for the most common barriers in regional disaster health.

The prevention or management of hypertension is an area of interest for researchers. This systematic review explores user engagement for hypertension-focused mobile health (mHealth) interventions as well as tailoring and interactivity for mHealth users. Digital behavior change interventions require engagement to be effective for users.

Mobile health application availability has increased for cancer patients due to a focus on patient empowerment. This systematic review evaluates and summarizes the evidence of mobile health apps and their characteristics and qualities. The evaluation found that cancer patient apps should be designed for usability and usefulness for a diverse group.

In a study of 10.4 million rural Medicare beneficiaries, researchers discovered continuous growth in telemedicine use among Medicare beneficiaries with a disproportionate share of all telemedicine visits for serious mental illness (e.g., bipolar disorder) between 2010 and 2019 – especially for care provided by nurse practitioners and other non-physician clinicians.

This guide reviews the research on the effectiveness of using telehealth for serious mental illness and substance abuse disorders. It makes recommendations for practice and provides examples of how practitioners use these practices in their programs.

This study investigated the widespread adoption of telephone and video technologies for delivering treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study looked at the acceptance and intent to use telehealth among service providers beyond the pandemic. Findings revealed high utilization rates of telehealth services across different SUD treatment modalities, with organizations expressing intent to continue using telehealth post-pandemic. The study highlighted the influence of perceived usefulness and ease of use on the acceptance of telehealth, emphasizing their potential for sustained application in SUD care.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the implementation of telehealth physical therapy in response to COVID-19 and identify strategies to maintain and scale up its use in a large urban academic medical center. The results indicate that telehealth physical therapy was utilized and accessible during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing guidance for future initiatives to expand its use and study in physical therapy through health policy, quality improvement, and implementation science efforts.

Telemedicine use has expanded since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the purpose of this study was to evaluate what inequities may exist in its design. Among patients scheduled for primary care and ambulatory telemedicine visits, differences were seen in rates of telemedicine and video use.

The Maternal Telehealth Access Project (MTAP) was launched to ensure that quality telehealth prenatal and postpartum services are accessible and available in underserved communities during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Increased access to perinatal services and support via telehealth, including clinical care, care coordination, support, and doulas/community health workers leads to improved clinical outcomes for moms and babies.

This publication explores the integration of telehealth within Medicare's alternative payment models (APMs) and physician-focused payment models (PFPMs). The study examines the evolution of telehealth coverage and reimbursement policies under Medicare and Medicaid, discusses the effectiveness of telehealth interventions across various clinical settings, and identifies key issues and opportunities for optimizing telehealth integration within APMs and PFPMs, including challenges related to billing, interoperability, and patient-centered care.

School-based telehealth programs can expand health care access to rural and underserved youth by eliminating barriers to access, such as transportation. This article describes characteristics of School-Based Telehealth Centers using technology to add to the access of care beyond onsite providers for underserved communities.