TY  - JOUR
AU  - Stevens, Jennifer P
AU  - Mechanic, Oren
AU  - Markson, Lawrence
AU  - O'Donoghue, Ashley
AU  - Kimball, Alexa B
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/5/20
TI  - Telehealth Use by Age and Race at a Single Academic Medical Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Cohort Study
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e23905
VL  - 23
IS  - 5
KW  - access
KW  - barrier
KW  - cohort
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - demographic
KW  - equity of care
KW  - equity
KW  - outpatient
KW  - telehealth
AB  - 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. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2021/5/e23905
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/23905
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33974549
DO  - 10.2196/23905
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/23905
ER  -