Assessment of Disparities in Digital Access Among Medicare Beneficiaries and Implications for Telemedicine
Eric T. Roberts, Ateev Mehrotra
Abstract
quine from retail pharmacies, including an approximate additional 93 000 patients who received both hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. First, evidence of efficacy in preventing or treating COVID-19 is limited. Treatment guidelines found insufficient clinical data to recommend for or against hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine use and recommend against combining either with azithromycin, except in clinical trials. 1 Second, because of reports of cardiac and other adverse events, the US Food and Drug Administration has cautioned against using hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 outside of hospitalized settings or clinical trials. 5 If azithromycin is used with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, correcting electrolyte levels, completing electrocardiographic monitoring, and avoiding other QTc interval-prolonging drugs are recommended. 6 Third, sudden increases in demand for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine limit availability for FDAapproved uses for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and malaria. 5 While some of the largest increases in hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine dispensing occurred in states with high COVID-19 case rates (eg, New Jersey, New York), other states with large increases in dispensing had moderate (eg, Florida) or low (eg, Hawaii) case rates.