As hospitals and health systems continue to integrate telehealth into their practices, the benefits continue to grow, according to a Sept. 25 report from the American Medical Association.
Lee Schwamm, MD, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said that an initial case study at the practice discovered that its telehealth program led to shorter patient wait times from request to consult to definitive diagnosis and management plan.
Telehealth also led to "a significant reduction in the length of stay," for patients. Additionally, the telehealth program increased the racial, geographic and urban-rural diversity of patients for whom Mass General provided care.
According to data, social determinants of health did not affect treatment time or patient outcomes during telehealth.