Telehealth Reduces Low-Value Care in Primary Care
TOPLINE:Increased telehealth use in primary care practices is associated with reduced rates of low-value cervical cancer screening and thyroid testing. No significant association is found between telehealth use and most other low-value care services.METHODOLOGY:Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study using Medicare fee-for-service claims data from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2022.A total of 577,928 Medicare beneficiaries attributed to 2552 primary care practices in Michigan were included in the study.Telehealth use was stratified into low, medium, and high tertiles based on the number of telehealth services per 1000 beneficiaries in 2022.Low-value care was assessed using eight claims-based measures relevant to primary care, grouped into office-based, laboratory-based, imagi...