Racial and Ethnic Differences in Telemedicine Use

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Health Equity
• Telemedicine Utilization

Background:

• Racial and ethnic minority groups may face barriers to telemedicine, such as the digital divide.
• Existing research shows conflicting findings regarding telemedicine use among minority groups compared to White individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify racial and ethnic disparities in telemedicine and total healthcare visit receipt.
• To analyze these disparities with and without controlling for demographic, clinical, and geographic factors.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of traditional Medicare enrollees from March 2020 to February 2022.
• Analysis of telemedicine and total visits, adjusting for race/ethnicity, demographics, clinical characteristics, and geography.

Main Results:

• Unadjusted analysis showed higher telemedicine use among Black, Hispanic, and other racial groups compared to White individuals.
• After adjusting for confounders, Black, Hispanic, and other racial groups had fewer telemedicine visits than White individuals.
• Minority groups consistently had fewer total healthcare visits than White individuals across all models.

Conclusions:

• Initial higher telemedicine use by minority groups was explained by geographic factors and higher pandemic-era use.
• After controlling for confounders, racial and ethnic minority groups utilized telemedicine less than White individuals.
• Findings suggest underlying disparities in healthcare access and utilization persist despite telemedicine expansion.