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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A research team from Mass. General Brigham and their partners have found patient access to telemedicine services may help reduce the use of "low-value" tests and excessive Medicare spending.
The deadline for Medicare reimbursement of most telehealth (virtual) visits is coming up next month, and after several extensions in Washington D.C. following the height of the COVID pandemic, it's not clear if it will be renewed.
These days, it appears telehealth remains popular.
Dr. Ishani Ganguli at Brigham and Women's Hospital, the lead author of the study, said "We've found that patients of all ages have continued to see their doctors virtually."
Dr. Ganguli and the team looked at Medicare claims data for more than two million people across the country, and she said they found that patients in higher-telemedicine-usage areas had "low-value" testing ordered for them less frequently by their healthcare providers.
She said "low-value" care consists of medical tests and procedures that provide little to no value to patients, could cause further harm, and/or promote excessive spending.
The study also shows in those higher-usage areas, visits for medical care were up slightly over lower-telemedicine-usage areas.
Dr. Ganguli said she hopes this new data will reassure lawmakers debating the future of virtual visits that telemedicine can contribute to higher-quality, lower-cost medical care for Medicare recipients.
The full results of the study have been published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
WBZ News Radio's Nichole Davis (@NicholeDWBZ) reports.