The following is a summary of “Use of Telemedicine by US Nephrologists for In-Center Hemodialysis Care During the Pandemic: An Analysis of National Medicare Claims,” published in the April 2024 issue of Nephrology by Niu et al.
During the COVID pandemic, the U.S. government removed regulatory barriers around the use of telemedicine. After this, nephrologists were reimbursed for telemedicine care delivered during in-center hemodialysis.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study examining the use of telemedicine for in-center hemodialysis during the first 16 months of the pandemic.
They studied Medicare beneficiaries receiving in-center hemodialysis between March 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021. Using multivariable regression, they examined time trends, dialysis facilities, and geographic correlates of telemedicine use. They also examined the effects of predictors of telemedicine use to estimate any change over time.
The results showed that among 267,434 medicare beneficiaries, telemedicine use peaked at 9% of patients in April 2020 and declined to 2% by June 2021. The use of telemedicine was highly dependent on geographical location. In remote and socioeconomically disadvantaged areas with higher incidences of COVID-19, patients were more likely to receive telemedicine care. Patients were more likely to opt for telemedicine in facilities with more staff and varied telemedicine use based on facility ownership type.
Investigators concluded that despite the diminishing association between COVID-19 incidence and telemedicine use, nephrologists continued using telemedicine for in-center hemodialysis throughout the pandemic.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590059524000098