Examining Rural Telehealth During the Public Health Emergency

The authors compared Medicare enrollees’ fee-for-service telehealth use before (2018-2019) and during the pandemic (2020-2021) and found significant increases (particularly among younger, female patients). Behavioral health care was the most frequent service sought during the pandemic. The authors highlighted challenges facing rural enrollees (e.g., access to broadband, less telehealth use by males), and figures throughout the report compare use by patients living in large rural, small rural, and urban areas. They encourage provider awareness of changes in payment policies should the provision allowing the broad use of telecare expire.