The Role of Patient Choice in Telemedicine Use Among Medicare Beneficiaries

This project aims to identify the sociodemographic predictors associated with beneficiaries choosing an audio telehealth visit over a visual option and assess the validity of Medicare claims-based telephone visit measurement. Using Medicare claims data and data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS), the project will evaluate how choosing an audio telehealth visit varies by age, sex, race, ethnicity, income, education, housing, language, health status, and technology access. The project also will quantify the extent to which audio telehealth visits are represented in Medicare claims data relative to patient self-reporting in MCBS data. The project will use linked 2019 and fall 2020 nationally representative survey data of community-dwelling Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare beneficiaries.