Association of Telehealth with Short-Interval Follow-Up

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Research
• Health Services Research
• Digital Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated telehealth adoption in primary care settings.
• The effect of telehealth on follow-up visit volume remains unclear.
• This study investigates telehealth's impact on short-interval follow-up visits in academic primary care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between newly expanded telehealth services and short-interval follow-up visits.
• To compare follow-up visit rates after telehealth versus in-person visits during the pandemic.
• To identify potential implications for primary care practice and telehealth sustainability.

Main Methods:

• Utilized scheduling data from an academic primary care practice.
• Compared rates of 0-60 day follow-up visits before and after the pandemic's onset.
• Analyzed follow-up visit frequency and timing following telehealth and in-person encounters.

Main Results:

• Telehealth visits were linked to significantly higher rates of total short-interval follow-ups compared to in-person visits.
• Telehealth visits also showed a higher rate of the first short-interval follow-up occurring within 0-15 days.
• These findings highlight a trend towards more frequent and sooner follow-ups after telehealth consultations.

Conclusions:

• The rapid expansion of telehealth post-COVID-19 resulted in increased short-interval follow-up visits.
• Potential contributing factors include scheduling inefficiencies, safety concerns, and patient/provider modality discomfort.
• Optimizing telehealth scheduling processes is crucial to mitigate short-interval follow-ups and ensure the long-term viability of telehealth in primary care.