Telehealth Equity Among Medicare Beneficiaries (2018-2020)

Telehealth has the potential to address existing health disparities among such underserved populations as rural residents, racial/ethnic minorities, and those with chronic conditions. The first few months of the COVID-19 public health emergency saw unprecedented telehealth expansion. Although rates of telehealth utilization have since dropped, rates remain much higher than pre-COVID rates. This project conducted by members of the Rural Telehealth Evaluation Center sought to examine how telehealth expanded for underserved populations using a 20% random sample of national Medicare claims.