报告：农村地区远程医疗的采用率滞后
Report: Telehealth Uptake Is Lagging in Rural Areas
远程医疗通常被誉为扩大医疗服务可及性的一种方式，尤其是在农村社区。然而，一项新研究发现，与非农村地区居民相比，农村人口继续以较低的比率使用远程医疗。
Elevance Health Public Policy Institute开展的这项研究于上周发布，使用了来自与Elevance Health有关联的健康计划的理赔数据。研究人员创建了一个样本，纳入年龄在18岁及以上、参加商业保险、Medicare Advantage、Medicare Supplement或Medicaid计划的成年人。该人群由1,150万名成员组成。
研究发现，在2022年至2025年期间，非农村地区患者的慢性病就诊中约有5%至8%通过远程医疗完成，而农村地区患者的这一比例为3%至5%。此前的研究显示，居住在农村地区的人群比居住在城市地区的人群承受更高的慢性病负担，而本研究结果正是在这一背景下得出。
呈现方赞助内容自动化医疗实践内部：围绕人而非文书工作重新设计医疗服务通过减少行政负担，并围绕人的需求重新设计工作流程，它为最重要的事情创造了空间：临床医生与患者之间的联系。
作者：Michael Blackman，MD、MBA，Greenway Health®首席医疗官在研究纳入的全部15种慢性病以及所有保险类型中，农村地区居民使用远程医疗的频率均低于非农村地区居民。这些慢性病包括糖尿病、高血压、慢性阻塞性肺疾病等。
“尽管远程医疗具有缓解可及性障碍的潜力，但农村地区较低的采用率值得进一步研究，以确定其影响因素，”报告称。“例如，居住在农村地区的人群在较低社会经济地位四分位组中的占比过高，这可能由于设备可用性、互联网可用性和可负担性，以及较低的数字素养和健康素养等障碍，导致远程医疗参与度下降。”报告指出，这些发现还表明，仅扩大远程医疗可能不足以改善可及性。研究人员表示，政策制定者还应投资于数字基础设施、患者支持服务以及其他会影响健康结局的资源。
此外，报告显示，不同的保险人群具有不同的医疗需求。因此，一刀切的远程医疗策略可能不会奏效。
呈现方赞助内容缩小职场心理健康领域的质量与可负担性差距在一次访谈中，Kyan Health联合创始人兼首席商务官Konstantin Struck讨论了Kyan如何让中型市场和企业雇主能够以可负担的价格获得高端员工心理健康服务。
作者：Stephanie Baum
“Medicare成员表现出更高的心脏代谢疾病患病率和更高的整体医疗服务利用率，这说明了远程医疗支持的照护管理存在机会，”研究人员表示。“参加Medicaid的成员肥胖、膳食咨询利用率以及急诊科使用率均较高。然而，我们也观察到，Medicaid成员在肥胖和膳食咨询方面的远程医疗利用率更高。因此，可能有必要制定考虑到人群特征和临床复杂性的定制化远程医疗策略，以最大限度地提高其在不同健康计划类型中的有效性。”报告呼吁政策制定者、健康计划以及其他医疗保健利益相关者，在建设远程医疗项目时考虑农村人口“独特的资源限制和医疗需求”。
图片：marekuliasz，Getty Images
Telehealth is often touted as a way to expand healthcare access, particularly in rural communities. However, a new study found that rural populations continue to use telehealth at lower rates than their non-rural counterparts.
The study from the Elevance Health Public Policy Institute was published last week and used claims data from Elevance Health-affiliated health plans. The researchers created a sample of adults aged 18 and older who were enrolled in commercial, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement or Medicaid plans. This population consisted of 11.5 million members.
The study found that between 2022 and 2025, telehealth accounted for about 5% to 8% of chronic condition visits among patients in non-rural areas, compared with 3% to 5% among those in rural areas. These findings come as previous research shows that people living in rural areas have a higher chronic disease burden than those living in urban areas.
By Michael Blackman, MD, MBA Chief Medical Officer, Greenway Health®
Those living in rural areas used telehealth less frequently than those in non-rural areas across all 15 chronic conditions included in the study and across all insurance types. These chronic conditions include diabetes, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and more.
“Despite the potential for telehealth to mitigate access barriers, lower uptake in rural areas merits further study to determine contributing factors,” the report said. “For instance, people living in rural areas were disproportionately represented in lower socioeconomic status quartiles, which may contribute to reduced telehealth engagement due to barriers such as device availability, internet availability and affordability, and lower digital and health literacy.” The findings also suggest that expanding telehealth alone may not be enough to improve access, according to the report. The researchers said policymakers should also invest in digital infrastructure, patient support services and other resources that influence health outcomes.
In addition, the report shows that different insurance populations have different healthcare needs. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all telehealth strategy likely won’t work.
“Medicare members demonstrated higher prevalence of cardiometabolic conditions and higher overall healthcare utilization, which points to opportunities for telehealth-supported care management,” the researchers stated. “Members enrolled in Medicaid showed elevated rates of obesity, dietary counseling utilization, and emergency department use. However, we also observe higher rates of telehealth utilization among Medicaid members for obesity and dietary counseling. Accordingly, tailored telehealth strategies that account for population-specific characteristics and clinical complexity may be necessary to maximize effectiveness across health plan types.” The report called on policymakers, health plans and other healthcare stakeholders to consider the “unique resource limitations and healthcare needs” of rural populations when building telehealth programs.
Photo: marekuliasz, Getty Images