Telemedicine Adoption Not Linked to Changes in Visits, Spending

TUESDAY, May 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Telemedicine adoption is not associated with changes in visits or spending, according to a study published online May 11 in JAMA Network Open.John N. Mafi, M.D., M.P.H., from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles, and colleagues quantified the association between telemedicine adoption and visits and spending for a national sample of adults continuously enrolled in Medicare fee-for-service, Medicare Advantage, dual-eligible, Medicaid, or commercial insurance from Jan. 1, 2019, to Oct. 31, 2023.The sample included 3.04 million U.S. individuals who had 120 million visits and spending of $178.4 billion during 2019 to 2023. The researchers found that the mean visit rate was 0.66 in 2019, and the mean spending rate was $774.59 per member per month. High-adopting areas had 2.4 percent fewer visits and 0.5 percent lower spending, but the 95 percent confidence intervals crossed the null. There was variation seen in point estimates across subgroups, but none achieved statistical significance: 4.4 percent fewer visits and 2.3 percent lower spending were seen among urban populations; in these populations, 2.5, 5.3, 3.0, and 1.5 percent lower spending was observed for Medicaid-insured individuals, dual-eligible individuals, Medicare Advantage-insured individuals, and the most socially vulnerable populations, respectively. In rural areas, there were 3.4 percent greater visits and 3.8 percent higher spending; 1.1, 1.0, and 4.5 percent higher spending was observed for commercially insured individuals, Medicare fee-for-service-insured individuals, and the least socially vulnerable groups, respectively."That is reassuring for anyone worried about ballooning costs, but more sobering for anyone hoping telemedicine would close longstanding gaps in access," Mafi said in a statement.Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical and consulting industries.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Telemedicine Adoption Not Linked to Changes in Visits, Spending

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