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The following is a summary of “Shifting Patterns in Primary Care Telehealth Utilization Among Medicare Beneficiaries and Providers,” published in the April 2025 issue of Journal of Primary Care & Community Health by Zhang et al. 

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated telehealth adoption, but disparities in access and utilization persist. 

Researchers conducted a prospective study on primary care patient sociodemographics, telehealth utilization patterns, and provider adoption before and during the pandemic. 

They analyzed data from Mississippi Medicare beneficiaries continuously enrolled in parts A, B, and D who accessed primary care services from 2019 to 2021. 

The results showed that among 201,677 Medicare beneficiaries accessing primary care, 1,364 used telehealth before the pandemic, compared to 73,994 during the pandemic. Telehealth utilization shifted to younger, female, White beneficiaries, and those enrolled in Medicare due to disability or End Stage Renal Disease. Telehealth users had higher Charlson Comorbidity Index and Social Vulnerability Index but lower Digital Divide Index scores. Telehealth was linked to more primary care visits, broader access, and higher continuity of care. Primary care physicians increased their share of telehealth services to 39%, while neuropsychiatry and psychiatry showed the highest adoption rates at 55% and 38%, respectively. 

Investigators found that telehealth played a growing role in primary care during the pandemic. Future efforts were needed to address digital divides and promote health equity in telehealth integration. 

Source: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21501319251323983