- A study published in JAMA Network Open found that COVID-19-era emergency department (ED) patients who had follow-up appointments via telehealth more often returned to the ED or were hospitalized than those who followed up with doctors in person. Compared to patients with in-person follow-ups, those with telehealth follow-ups had 28.3 more repeat ED visits and 10.6 more return hospital admissions per 1,000 patients. The researchers noted the significant increase in return visits remained after they used patients’ risk adjustment factor scores to control for sociodemographics, illness acuity, and medical complexity. (Study here)
October 28, 2022
Health IT