Telehealth Practice Among Health Centers During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, July 11–17, 2020
Hanna B. Demeke, Leah Zilversmit Pao, Hollie Clark, Lisa Romero, Antonio Neri, Rhea Shah, Kendra B. McDow, Erica Tindall, Naureen Iqbal, Kendra Hatfield‐Timajchy, Joshua Bolton, Xuan Le, Brionna Y. Hair, Stephanie Campbell, Cuong J. Bui, Paramjit Sandhu, Isaac Nwaise, Paige A. Armstrong, Michelle A. Rose
Abstract
staffing capacity, change in visit volume, and personal protective equipment (PPE) supply. Among the 1,009 health center respondents, 963 (95.4%) reported providing telehealth services. Health centers in urban areas were more likely to provide >30% of health care visits virtually (i.e., via telehealth) than were health centers in rural areas. Telehealth is a promising approach to promoting access to care and can facilitate public health mitigation strategies and help prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory illnesses, while supporting continuity of care. Although CMS's change of its telehealth provisions enabled health centers to expand telehealth by aligning guidance and leveraging federal resources, sustaining expanded use of telehealth services might require additional policies and resources.