Capitol News

A recent study led by Michigan State University researchers has documented a notable increase in telemedicine services offered by U.S. hospitals from 2017 to 2022, while also identifying persistent barriers to its full implementation.

The comprehensive analysis, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, indicates that the percentage of hospitals offering at least one form of telemedicine service rose from 46% in 2017 to 72% in 2021. The research team, led by John (Xuefeng) Jiang, Eli Broad Endowed Professor of Accounting and Information Systems at Michigan State University, utilized data from the American Hospital Association’s annual surveys and AHA IT Supplemental Survey.

“Our findings demonstrate the rapid acceleration of telemedicine adoption, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jiang. “However, we also uncovered significant disparities in implementation across different hospital types and persistent challenges in health information exchange that need to be addressed to fully realize telemedicine’s benefits.”

Key findings include:

- Telemedicine encounters increased by 75%, from 111.4 million in 2020 to 194.4 million in 2021.

- Larger nonprofit and teaching hospitals were more likely to adopt telehealth services.

- Over 90% of hospitals allow patients to view and download medical records online; however, only 41% permit online data submission.

- Certified health IT developers were identified as frequent sources of information blocking by 25% of hospitals.

Additionally, the study found that interoperability issues across different vendor platforms remain a significant challenge for hospitals exchanging electronic health information.

Joseph Ross, professor at the Yale School of Medicine and co-author of the study, emphasized the need for broader access to telehealth services. “The lower rates of telehealth service availability in smaller and for-profit hospitals suggest that efforts are needed to ensure these services are broadly available to patients across all hospitals,” he said.

Ge Bai, former doctoral student at MSU Broad College of Business and current professor at Johns Hopkins University, highlighted both the potential and obstacles faced by telemedicine. “Telemedicine has the potential to improve hospital care, but our study identified important barriers that are preventing hospitals from reaching this potential,” Bai noted.

This research builds upon previous work by Jiang and colleagues documenting electronic health record (EHR) adoption over the past decade as crucial for offering telemedicine services. Another related study revealed difficulties some U.S. hospitals face in reporting adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines.

“These studies collectively paint a picture of the ongoing digital transformation in U.S. health care,” Jiang stated. “While we’ve seen significant progress...persistent challenges highlight the need for continued improvement.”

The researchers recommend policymakers address these challenges to ensure equitable access to telemedicine services and facilitate seamless health information exchange among providers.

“As we look to the future...telemedicine will play an increasingly vital role,” Jiang concluded. “By addressing disparities...we can create a more accessible...health care system.”