CHI Analysis Highlights Telemedicine’s Shifting Role Amidst Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid and unprecedented change in health care, prompting the rapid adoption of telemedicine as a method of care delivery.
The Colorado Health Institute (CHI) has partnered with the state’s Office of eHealth Innovation (OeHI) to analyze how this shift is impacting patients, providers, and payers.
“As emergency orders forced medical providers to curtail in-person visits, providers had to stand up new technology and processes in a matter of days,” said Michele Lueck, president and CEO of CHI. “Even as medical offices have reopened, telemedicine has established itself an increasingly important method of care delivery, which will have significant policy implications at all levels of the health care system.”
CHI was retained by OeHI to evaluate the impact and value proposition of telehealth in Colorado and assess the policy options that will shape its future.
CHI analysts combined key informant interviews and electronic health record data from the Colorado Health Observation Regional Data Service (CHORDS) network to answer key questions related to utilization and access, outcomes and quality, and provider and patient experience.
The resulting reports combine detailed data and analysis with patient and provider insights, providing the earliest in-depth analysis of telehealth in Colorado and one of the country’s first explorations of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The reports and a series of provider profiles are available on the OeHI website.
Reports:
- The Financial Impact on Providers and Payers in Colorado
- Insights From Patient Care Utilization in Colorado
- Insights From Patients in Colorado
Provider Profiles:
Since 2002, CHI has served as a nonpartisan, independent advisor and source of research and data for Colorado’s policymakers, foundations, community organizations, and health care systems. CHI is known for bringing insights from quantitative and qualitative analysis to bear on the most pressing issues affecting the health of Coloradans.
CHI’s telehealth evaluation follows on other, in-depth analyses the organization has done into the emerging topic. CHI is also working with the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to explore impact on costs, and previous work has included:
- Telemedicine in Colorado: The Jetsons, a RAPID Response to COVID-19, and the Big Questions Ahead
- Many People Without Health Insurance Are at Risk for COVID-19. CovidLine Offers Telemedicine for Free.
- Innovative Health Care in Colorado’s Safety Net
CHI analysts are available to share their insight on telemedicine’s impact on Colorado’s health system.