Authors:
Keaton Thomas, PharmD
Haley M. Klassing, PharmD, BCACP
Reviewers:
Anusha McNamara, PharmD, BCACP
Anna Rhett, PharmD
Citation:
Baughman DJ, Jabbarpour Y, Westfall JM, et al. Comparison of Quality Performance Measures for Patients Receiving In-Person vs Telemedicine Primary Care in a Large Integrated Health System. JAMA Netw Open. 2022; 5(9): e2233267.
The Problem
If we’ve learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that delivering healthcare to patients at a distance is possible, with about 20% of appointments conducted via telehealth in 2020.1 With the expansion of telehealth technologies, it brings the opportunity to increase access to care for patients in medically underserved communities and to those who have transportation, cost, and time barriers. Moreover, telehealth may help reduce costs.2 However, while it may increase access and reduce costs, one question needs to be answered—is telehealth an effective method to deliver primary care?
Well done! The use of telehealth services for pharmacy is very likely to provide increased opportunities for clinical reimbursement. Telehealth adds another means of access for rural health services.