A brand new research means that telemedicine might scale back pointless imaging, supporting its use in digital care fashions with out rising healthcare overuse.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Decrease Imaging Use: Telemedicine visits through the COVID-19 pandemic had been related to almost 30% much less diagnostic imaging in comparison with in-person visits, based on a nationwide insurance coverage knowledge evaluation.
- Constant Throughout Time Frames: The diminished imaging charge held regular at 7, 14, and 30 days post-visit, indicating a constant distinction in downstream service use between go to sorts.
- Coverage Implications: The research means that telemedicine might scale back pointless imaging, supporting its use in digital care fashions with out rising healthcare overuse.
A brand new research revealed within the Journal of the American School of Radiology finds that telemedicine visits through the COVID-19 pandemic had been related to considerably decrease diagnostic imaging use in comparison with matched in-person visits. The analysis, performed utilizing nationwide personal insurance coverage knowledge, gives essential perception into how digital care might influence downstream medical providers.
The research, led by researchers on the Harvey L. Neiman Well being Coverage Institute, evaluated greater than 23 million workplace visits in 2021 from the Optum de-identified Clinformatics Knowledge Mart Database, a big industrial and Medicare Benefit claims dataset. Researchers matched telemedicine and in-person visits primarily based on affected person, supplier, and go to traits to isolate variations in imaging utilization throughout go to sorts.
“We discovered that diagnostic imaging was almost 30% much less prone to happen following a telemedicine go to in comparison with an in-person go to,” mentioned YoonKyung Chung, PhD, Principal Researcher on the Neiman HPI and lead creator of the research. “This discovering held true throughout all time intervals evaluated, together with imaging carried out inside 7, 14, and 30 days of the go to.”
Of the 23.4 million visits included within the research, 10% had been delivered by way of telemedicine. After matching, the 7-day post-visit imaging utilization charge was 2.4 share factors decrease for telemedicine visits (a 29.7% relative distinction). Whereas sufferers who did obtain imaging after telemedicine visits had a barely larger variety of imaging research on common, this impact was very small, simply 0.02 extra research on common—in comparison with in-person care.
“This research means that telemedicine, at the least through the pandemic interval studied, just isn’t related to elevated imaging utilization,” mentioned Dr. Lauren Nicola, MD, Chief Govt Officer, Triad Radiology Associates and co-author. “As policymakers and well being programs contemplate the way forward for digital care, it’s essential to acknowledge that telemedicine might supply a approach to ship care with out contributing to overuse of imaging.”
Researchers observe that whereas the outcomes exhibit decrease imaging utilization, future research are wanted to look at whether or not the imaging that does happen in digital settings is suitable and whether or not sufferers expertise variations in adherence or outcomes.
