Jeongyoung Park (
Clese Erikson is deputy director of the Health Workforce Research Center, Department of Health Policy and Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University.
Health Aff (Millwood). 2018 Dec;37(12):2060-2068. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05101.
Using four years of data from a nationally representative consumer survey, we examined trends in telehealth usage over time and the role state telehealth policies play in telehealth use. Telehealth use increased dramatically during the period 2013-16, with new modalities such as live video, live chat, texting, and mobile apps gaining traction. The rate of live video communication rose from 6.6 percent in June 2013 to 21.6 percent in December 2016. However, underserved populations-including Medicaid, low-income, and rural populations-did not use live video communication as widely as other groups did. Less restrictive state telehealth policies were not associated with increased usage overall or among underserved populations. This study suggests that state efforts alone to remove barriers to using telehealth might not be sufficient for increasing use, and new incentives for providers and consumers to adopt and use telehealth may be needed.
利用一项全国代表性消费者调查的四年数据，我们考察了一段时间内远程医疗使用的趋势，以及州远程医疗政策在远程医疗使用中的作用。2013 年至 2016 年期间，远程医疗的使用急剧增加，新的模式如实时视频、实时聊天、短信和移动应用程序逐渐普及。实时视频通信的比例从 2013 年 6 月的 6.6%上升到 2016 年 12 月的 21.6%。然而，包括医疗补助、低收入和农村人口在内的服务不足人群使用实时视频通信的比例并没有其他人群高。州远程医疗政策限制较少并不意味着总体使用量增加，也不意味着服务不足人群的使用量增加。这项研究表明，仅靠州一级努力消除使用远程医疗的障碍可能不足以增加使用量，可能需要为提供者和消费者提供新的激励措施，以促使他们采用和使用远程医疗。
