| Literature DB >> 35930556 |
Kevin Chen1,2, Christine Zhang1, Alexandra Gurley1, Shashi Akkem1, Hannah Jackson1,2.
Abstract
Telehealth services may improve access to care, but there are concerns around whether availability of telehealth may increase care utilization. We assessed whether usage of telehealth was associated with differential primary care utilization at a large, urban public healthcare system. Using electronic health record data from 23 primary care clinics, we categorized patients as telehealth users and non-users. Then, we compared the number of visits per patient between groups using Welch's t-tests while stratifying by comorbidity count. We used multivariable Poisson regression to test for associations between telehealth usage and visit count while controlling for other demographic factors. Compared with telehealth non-users, telehealth users had approximately 1 more primary care visit per patient over the year regardless of comorbidity count or other patient characteristics. Availability of telehealth services may be associated with increased primary care utilization in a safety-net setting, though further research on outcomes, costs of care, and patient and clinician experiences is needed to better inform decisions regarding provision and reimbursement of telehealth services.Entities:
Mesh:
Year: 2022 PMID: 35930556 PMCID: PMC9355262 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272605
Source DB: PubMed Journal: PLoS One ISSN: 1932-6203 Impact factor: 3.752
Patient characteristics.
| Demographic, N (%) | Telehealth Users N = 133,830 | Telehealth Non-users N = 91,317 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | <0.001 | ||
| 18–44 | 36,374 (27.2) | 32,584 (35.7) | |
| 45–64 | 60,647 (45.3) | 39,036 (42.8) | |
| ≥65 | 36,809 (27.5) | 19,697 (21.6) | |
| Female | 82,997 (62.0) | 52,356 (57.3) | <0.001 |
| Race/Ethnicity | <0.001 | ||
| White | 11,645 (8.7) | 8,204 (9.0) | |
| Black | 43,134 (32.2) | 33,621 (36.8) | |
| Hispanic | 46,877 (35.0) | 31,034 (34.0) | |
| Asian | 11,366 (8.5) | 4,736 (5.2) | |
| Other | 20,808 (15.6) | 13,722 (15.0) | |
| Primary Language | <0.001 | ||
| English | 75,231 (56.2) | 52,744 (57.8) | |
| Spanish | 47,986 (35.9) | 31,883 (34.9) | |
| Other | 10,613 (7.9) | 6,690 (7.3) | |
| Insurance | <0.001 | ||
| Commercial | 20,931 (15.6) | 16,394 (18.0) | |
| Medicaid | 63,962 (47.8) | 43,270 (47.4) | |
| Medicare | 27,943 (20.9) | 14,517 (15.9) | |
| Other | 990 (0.7) | 551 (0.6) | |
| Uninsured | 20,004 (15.0) | 16,585 (18.2) | |
| Elixhauser Comorbidity Count | <0.001 | ||
| 0 | 26,858 (20.1) | 25,705 (28.2) | |
| 1 | 36,300 (27.1) | 26,912 (29.5) | |
| 2 | 33,446 (25.0) | 20,050 (22.0) | |
| 3 | 20,515 (15.3) | 10,658 (11.7) | |
| ≥4 | 16,711 (12.5) | 7,992 (8.8) |
Number of primary care encounters by telehealth users and non-users stratified by Elixhauser comorbidity count.
| Elixhuaser Comorbidity Count | Number of Primary Care Encounters by Telehealth Users, Mean (SD) | Number of Primary Care Encounters by Telehealth Non-users, Mean (SD) | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2.1 (1.3) | 1.4 (0.8) | <0.001 |
| 1 | 2.7 (1.5) | 1.8 (1.0) | <0.001 |
| 2 | 3.1 (1.6) | 2.1 (1.3) | <0.001 |
| 3 | 3.4 (1.7) | 2.5 (1.5) | <0.001 |
| ≥4 | 3.9 (2.2) | 2.8 (2.0) | <0.001 |
| Total | 2.9 (1.7) | 1.9 (1.3) | <0.001 |