Telemedicine Use and Outcomes Following Discharge From the Emergency Department, 2020-2022.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Digital Health
• Patient Outcomes

Background:

• Telemedicine has emerged as a key modality for healthcare delivery.
• Understanding its role in post-emergency department (ED) follow-up care is crucial for optimizing patient management.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated the comparative effectiveness of telemedicine versus in-person follow-up for patients discharged from the ED.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utilization of telemedicine for outpatient follow-up after ED discharge.
• To compare the risk of hospital readmission between patients receiving telemedicine versus in-person follow-up care.
• To identify patient characteristics associated with the use of telemedicine for post-ED care.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study using administrative claims data from 2020-2022.
• Inclusion of adult patients discharged from the ED with congestive heart failure, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or asthma.
• Analysis using multivariable logistic regression and time-to-event methods to compare outcomes between telemedicine and in-person follow-up.

Main Results:

• A total of 147,561 patients were included; 2.8% utilized telemedicine for follow-up within 14 days of ED discharge.
• Telemedicine use was associated with younger age, female sex, more comorbidities, and higher ED visit complexity.
• Telemedicine follow-up was not associated with a significantly greater risk of hospital readmission compared to in-person follow-up.

Conclusions:

• The adoption of telemedicine for post-ED outpatient follow-up remains low.
• Telemedicine appears to be a safe alternative to in-person follow-up, with comparable readmission rates.
• Further research and targeted interventions may be needed to enhance telemedicine accessibility for selected patient populations.