Association Between Telemedicine Uptake and Outcomes Across Health Systems in the U.S.

This project aims to evaluate the association between a health system’s telemedicine use and costs and quality across all Medicare beneficiaries and across key subpopulations. The project will measure the association between a health system’s rate of telemedicine use and receipt of in-person visits, preventive care, non-COVID-19-related hospitalizations, total spending, and spending on hospitalizations, outpatient care, and drug spending. The project also will compare outcomes pre- and postpandemic on subgroups where telemedicine may be more beneficial, including patients with heart failure, Type 2 diabetes, depression, and moderate to severe frailty. The project will use a 100 percent sample of Medicare beneficiaries in traditional Medicare accessed via the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Virtual Research Data Center (VRDC).