In a
WTOP-FM interview,
Health Affairs Editor-In-Chief
Alan Weil discussed a new study about telemedicine’s use and costs.
As Weil noted, at the beginning of COVID-19, Congress temporarily extended the broad coverage of telemedicine, including flexibilities on where patients are located, through December 2024.
These temporary guidelines are set to expire at the end of 2024, unless Congress reauthorizes them. Weil mentioned that some policy makers feared that the continued wide use of telemedicine would drive up health costs.
However, Weil added, the findings of this new
Health Affairs study, which sampled Medicare data, showed this not to be the case. Weil also noted that telehealth has helped to reduce inequities, offering more people access to care.
For more information, read the article,
The Impact Of Telemedicine On Utilization, Spending, And Quality, 2019–22