Analysis Of Teladoc Use Seems To Indicate Expanded Access To Care For Patients Without Prior Connection To A Provider
Analysis Of Teladoc Use Seems To Indicate Expanded Access To Care For Patients Without Prior Connection To A Provider
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DOI：
10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0989
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发表时间：
2014-02-01
期刊：
影响因子：
9.7
通讯作者：
Mehrotra, Ateev
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Uscher-Pines, Lori;Mehrotra, Ateev
尽管远程保健应用程序的潜在好处，很少有人知道他们对护理的整体影响。这一点至关重要，因为医疗保健成本上升和初级保健提供者短缺，使得远程保健服务可能在医疗保健提供方面发挥越来越重要的作用。为了帮助填补这方面的知识空白，我们描述了Teladoc的早期经验，Teladoc是美国最大的远程医疗提供商之一，它通过电话或互联网直接向患者提供护理。我们分析了加州一家大型机构的索赔数据，该机构最近为公共雇员提供Teladoc作为承保服务。我们研究的3，701例Teladoc“就诊”是针对广泛的诊断类别，其中最常见的是急性呼吸道疾病，尿路感染和皮肤问题。与因类似疾病而前往医生办公室的患者相比，成年Teladoc用户更年轻，在引入Teladoc之前使用医疗保健的可能性更小。与那些去医生办公室或急诊室的患者相比，使用Teladoc的患者不太可能在任何情况下进行随访。Teladoc似乎正在扩大对与其他提供者没有联系的患者的访问。未来的研究应评估Teladoc和其他远程保健干预措施对护理质量和成本的影响。
Despite the potential benefits of telehealth applications, little is known about their overall impact on care. This is critical because rising health care costs and a shortage of primary care providers make it likely that telehealth services will play an increasingly important role in health care delivery. To help fill this gap in knowledge, we describe early experiences with Teladoc, one of the largest telemedicine providers in the United States, which provides care directly to patients over the telephone or via the Internet. We analyzed claims data for a large California agency serving public employees that recently offered Teladoc as a covered service. The 3,701 Teladoc "visits" we studied were for a broad range of diagnostic categories, the most common of which were acute respiratory conditions, urinary tract infections, and skin problems. Compared to patients who visited a physician's office for a similar condition, adult Teladoc users were younger and less likely to have used health care before the introduction of Teladoc. Patients who used Teladoc were less likely to have a follow-up visit to any setting, compared to those patients who visited a physician's office or emergency department. Teladoc appears to be expanding access to patients who are not connected to other providers. Future research should assess the impact of Teladoc and other telehealth interventions on the quality and cost of care.