ICYMI: New Research Underscores Telehealth as a Cost-Effective Substitute for Traditional In-Person Care

Alliance for Connected Care Analysis Finds Increased Utilization of Telehealth Did Not Increase Volume of Medicare Services or Cost of Care

In case you missed it, The Alliance for Connected Care (ACC) released an analysis of Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) claims from 2019 through 2021 and found telehealth services were principally a substitute for in-person care, rather than additive.

The study, commissioned by ACC and conducted independently by Teus Health, found telehealth Medicare FFS claims did not lead to an increase in the total volume of Medicare services, resulting in nearly identical re-visit rates when compared to in-person care, and did not increase cost of care. 

As ACC notes, “This data analysis builds on a growing volume of academically rigorous research with similar findings.” In their analysis, ACC references another similar study published in Nature conducted by researcher at MedStar Health, Stanford Medicine, and Intermountain Healthcare, that analyzed primary care telehealth usage among four million encounters, which also concluded virtual care “did not increase the number of visits.”

Millions are able to receive quality and convenient care that is not duplicative nor does it increase costs due to expanded virtual care access. To protect this access that patients and providers rely on, the U.S. Senate must follow the U.S. House by acting to significantly extend access to telehealth.

Read the ACC’s full analysis HERE.

Learn more about how Congress can act to permanently protect telehealth access HERE.

ABOUT TELEHEALTH ACCESS FOR AMERICA

Telehealth Access for America (TAFA) is a public education campaign supported by leaders in health care committed to better care, expanded patient choice, and protecting access to critical telehealth services. Learn more and take action today at www.telehealthaccessforamerica.org.