The “New” New Normal: Changes in Telemedicine Utilization Since COVID-19
Soumik Mandal
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate trends in telemedicine utilization overall and across clinical specialties, providing insights into its evolving role in health care delivery. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed 1.9 million telemedicine video visits from a large academic health care system in New York City between 2020 and 2023. The data, collected from the health care system's electronic health records, included telemedicine encounters across more than 500 ambulatory locations. METHODS: We used descriptive statistics to outline telemedicine usage trends and compared telemedicine utilization rates and evaluation and management characteristics across clinical specialties. RESULTS: Telemedicine utilization peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, then declined and stabilized. Despite an overall decline, 2 non-primary care specialties (behavioral health and psychiatry) experienced continued growth in telemedicine visits. Primary care and urgent care visits were mainly characterized by low-complexity visits, whereas non-primary care specialties witnessed a rise in moderate- and high-complexity visits, with the number of moderate-level visits surpassing those of low complexity. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight a dynamic shift in telemedicine utilization, with non-primary care settings witnessing an increase in the complexity of cases. To address future demands from increasingly complex medical cases managed through telemedicine in non-primary care, appropriate resource allocation is essential.