Healthcare Utilization Differences Among Primary Care Patients Using Telemedicine in the Veterans Health Administration: a Retrospective Cohort Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged telemedicine expansion. Research regarding follow-up healthcare utilization and primary care (PC) telemedicine is lacking.

Objective

To evaluate whether healthcare utilization differed across PC populations using telemedicine.

Design

Retrospective observational cohort study using administrative data from veterans with minimally one PC visit before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2019-February 28, 2020) and after in-person restrictions were lifted (October 1, 2020-September 30, 2021).

Participants

All veterans receiving VHA PC services during study period.

Main measures

Veterans' exposure to telemedicine was categorized as (1) in-person only, (2) telephone telemedicine (≥ 1 telephone visit with or without in-per

SUBMITTER: O'Shea AMJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10937860 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature