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Telehealth boosts preventive care in rural areas
Research shows that telehealth uptake was linked to a higher likelihood that rural residents would receive preventive care services.
Telehealth utilization in rural areas was associated with a higher likelihood of utilizing preventive care, recent research revealed.
Published in the American Journal of Managed Care, the research assessed whether telehealth use among rural residents affected subsequent preventive care utilization. The study authors noted that rural residents are less likely to receive preventive health services. Prior research has shown that barriers to primary care access, including travel and transportation challenges, limit Americans' use of preventive care.
To examine whether telehealth helps alleviate some of these barriers, researchers from the Elevance Health Public Policy Institute conducted a retrospective cohort study using administrative claims data. They constructed a sample of adults with commercial or Medicare Advantage insurance residing in rural areas and used propensity scoring to match telehealth users and non-users.
The matched sample included 2 million individuals residing in rural areas between January 2019 and December 2023. Of the study population, about 1 million did not use telehealth during the study period, while 535,418 used telehealth in 2020 and 730,828 used it between 2021 and 2023.
The study showed that telehealth use in 2020 was associated with a higher likelihood of completing a preventive care visit or service in 2021. Additionally, telehealth use between 2021 and 2023 was associated with a higher likelihood of completing a preventive care visit or service in 2023.
Researchers further observed that the relationship between telehealth use and preventive care varied across demographic and medical characteristics. For instance, individuals with asthma displayed a greater association between telehealth use and preventive care than those with diabetes or hypertension.
The association between telehealth and preventive care was also more pronounced among women and individuals residing in the West and South, the research showed.
"Given prior research showing that regular visits with health care providers are associated with receiving recommended preventive care, telemedicine may be an effective way to strengthen the relationship between providers and patients and encourage appropriate preventive care," the researchers concluded.
They also noted that the study results could be used to inform future telehealth policies.
The healthcare industry is currently facing a telehealth cliff. Pandemic-era regulatory flexibilities that accelerated telehealth adoption nationwide will expire on Jan. 30, 2026, unless Congress extends them.
On Jan. 20, the House Appropriations Committee released a three-bill funding package that includes provisions to extend telehealth flexibilities through Dec. 31, 2027, and the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver through Sept. 30, 2030.
Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers the virtual healthcare landscape, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring and digital therapeutics.
