Primary Care Telehealth in a Dynamic Healthcare Environment From Digital Divide to Healthcare Outcomes

Authors

Yunxi Zhang
Lincy S Lal
Saurabh Chandra
John Michael Swint

Language

English

Publication Date

4-17-2025

Journal

npj Digital Medicine

DOI

10.1038/s41746-025-01599-x

PMID

40247026

PMCID

PMC12006327

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

4-17-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

With expanded telehealth availability in primary care, its impact on quality of care and associated costs remains debated. Analyzing 199,829 Medicare beneficiaries in Mississippi (2019-2021), we found telehealth utilization associated with significant sociodemographic disparities, reduced inpatient admissions, and lower 30-day readmissions. By accounting for primary care utilization, our findings suggest that the higher absolute costs observed among telehealth users may reflect underlying healthcare needs rather than telehealth utilization.

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Zhang, Yunxi; Lal, Lincy S; Chandra, Saurabh; et al., "Primary Care Telehealth in a Dynamic Healthcare Environment From Digital Divide to Healthcare Outcomes" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 1118.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthsph_docs/1118