Examining Telehealth Uptake to Increase Equitable Care Access

To mark the publication of The American Journal of Managed Care®’s 12th annual health IT issue, on this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Christopher M. Whaley, PhD, health care economist at the RAND Corporation, who focuses on health economics issues, including the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care delivery. In particular, he examines how existing technology has pivoted to become a backbone for virtual care delivery while its ongoing evolvement has highlighted inequities in care delivery, making access and lack thereof divisive issues.

In their article in the health IT issue, “Differences in Telehealth During COVID-19 Between Commercial and Medicaid Enrollees,” Whaley and his co-authors compare rates of telehealth and in-person evaluation and management visits between individuals with commercial insurance through the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, or CalPERS, and those with publicly funded coverage through the California Medicaid program, with implications for equitable access to telehealth and development of policies to guide its ongoing and future use.