Variation in patients’ use of, experiences with, and access to telehealth during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Variation in patients’ use of, experiences with, and access to telehealth during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Collection:
Health Policy and Services Research
Series Title(s):
Urban Institute research report
Author(s):
Smith, Laura Barrie, author
Blavin, Fredric E., author
O'Brien, Claire, (Of Urban Institute), author
Contributor(s):
Health Policy Center (Urban Institute), issuing body.
Urban Institute, issuing body.
Publication:
Washington, DC : Urban Institute, March 2022
Language(s):
English
Format:
Text
Subject(s):
COVID-19
Health Equity -- economics
Health Policy
Quality Assurance, Health Care -- statistics & numerical data
Social Mobility
Socioeconomic Factors
Telemedicine -- statistics & numerical data
United States
Genre(s):
Technical Report
Abstract:
During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the use of telehealth increased rapidly to reduce face-to-face contact between providers and patients. Though estimates of telehealth use during this time have emerged, additional information on the characteristics of telehealth visits and disparities in access to telehealth is needed to inform evolving telehealth policies. Studies have found that the initial surge in telehealth during the pandemic varied by provider and patient characteristics, including providers’ specialties and patients’ income, insurance status, and rurality. However, such research has assessed neither the characteristics of telehealth visits nor access to telehealth as experienced by patients and has been largely limited to data that do not represent all patients (e.g., claims data from a single payer type). This study uses nationally representative survey data to describe telehealth visits among nonelderly adults (ages 18 to 64) and elderly adults (ages 65 and older) in the US during the first year of the pandemic. We examine differences in the use of telehealth, in the characteristics of telehealth visits, in patients’ experiences with telehealth visits, and between phone (i.e., audio-only) and video telehealth visits.
Copyright:
Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-DC license. (More information)
Extent:
1 online resource (1 PDF file (iv, 24 pages))
Illustrations:
Illustrations
NLM Unique ID:
9918486681606676 (See catalog record)
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918486681606676