Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older logged approximately 60 million telehealth visits annually between 2021 and 2023, with about 31 million for mental health services and 29 million for other health issues, according to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. The research found that Medicare-insured patients who used telehealth were generally in poorer health and faced more physical and functional limitations in daily life compared with those who only attended in-person appointments.
Dramatic Growth from Pre-Pandemic Baseline
Before 2020, telehealth adoption among Medicare patients was minimal. In 2019, only about 1.7% of Medicare patients—910,490 people—used telehealth for medical appointments, primarily in rural areas where certain clinics were authorized to offer it. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted federal expansion of telehealth coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, causing usage to surge to 53% in 2021, representing nearly 28.3 million telehealth users at the pandemic’s peak. While telehealth appointments have declined since that peak, they remain substantially higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to data from Epic, the largest electronic medical record company in the U.S.
Policy Questions Ahead
Legislation passed in 2021 made Medicare’s coverage of telehealth permanent for mental health services. However, coverage for other health conditions, such as respiratory infections or diabetes, is scheduled to expire in 2027, with policymakers still deciding whether to continue it. The study underscores telehealth’s role in enabling older adults to access care for acute and chronic conditions. Emerging research suggests it can help patients see providers more consistently without compromising care quality compared to in-person visits, though the researchers note that more investigation is needed to determine whether telehealth visits are comparable to in-person care for treating specific conditions.
The analysis relied on data from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey, a nationally representative snapshot of how Americans use and receive health care. The study’s findings align with other telehealth research conducted since the pandemic.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.laconiadailysun.com/lifestyles/health/telehealth-is-widely-used-by-older-adults-insured-by-medicare-new-research-shows/article_a6388f43-0d96-5e5b-9b95-b91ec8c6e202.html