%0 Journal Article
%@ 1438-8871
%I JMIR Publications
%V 23
%N 5
%P e23905
%T Telehealth Use by Age and Race at a Single Academic Medical Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Cohort Study
%A Stevens,Jennifer P
%A Mechanic,Oren
%A Markson,Lawrence
%A O'Donoghue,Ashley
%A Kimball,Alexa B
%+ Center for Healthcare Delivery Science, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, United States, 1 6176677165, jpsteven@Bidmc.harvard.edu
%K access
%K barrier
%K cohort
%K COVID-19
%K demographic
%K equity of care
%K equity
%K outpatient
%K telehealth
%D 2021
%7 20.5.2021
%9 Short Paper
%J J Med Internet Res
%G English
%X Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many ambulatory clinics transitioned to telehealth, but it remains unknown how this may have exacerbated inequitable access to care. Objective: Given the potential barriers faced by different populations, we investigated whether telehealth use is consistent and equitable across age, race, and gender. Methods: Our retrospective cohort study of outpatient visits was conducted between March 2 and June 10, 2020, compared with the same time period in 2019, at a single academic health center in Boston, Massachusetts. Visits were divided into in-person visits and telehealth visits and then compared by racial designation, gender, and age. Results: At our academic medical center, using a retrospective cohort analysis of ambulatory care delivered between March 2 and June 10, 2020, we found that over half (57.6%) of all visits were telehealth visits, and both Black and White patients accessed telehealth more than Asian patients. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the rapid implementation of telehealth does not follow prior patterns of health care disparities. 
%M 33974549
%R 10.2196/23905
%U https://www.jmir.org/2021/5/e23905
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/23905
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33974549