The new evidence is that telemedicine can help reduce the cost of low-value tests. According to researchers from a affiliated Mass General Brigham, an associated Mass General of Harvard Medical School, low-value care has medical testing and procedures that do not give any benefit to patients.

“In theory, widely adopting telemedicine post-pandemic can affect a lower value test, such as screening of pap smear and prostate cancer in older adults, and imaging scan for direct cases of low back pain , “Brigham’s lead writer Illi Ganguli said. Women’s Hospital.

Telemedicine, or telehaalth, without going to the clinic, uses technology to provide health services from far away. This includes video or phone appointments between doctors and patients.

According to a study published in JAMA internal medicine, patients using telemedicine had total trips (both virtual and in-tradition) compared to low telemedicine systems.

He conducted less unnecessary tests in 7 of the 20 categories. These included cervical cancer screening, some heart and metabolic tests, and imaging for simple back pain.

Overall, patients with a high-oilmedicine system spent less on trip on per capita and two unnecessary trials, but their total expenditure on low-value tests was the same.

Researchers analyzed the 2019-2022 data of more than 2 million beneficiaries in the United States, who either adopted telemedicine during the Kovid -19 epidemic. According to the study, this time limit was ideal because it highlighted how telemedicine flourished with the onset of epidemic.

Conclusions suggest that virtual options may reduce obstacles to care. This means that telemedicine doctors and patients may reduce the possibility of undergoing some unnecessary trials, in particular, electrocardiogram (ECG), screening metabolic panel, prepent full blood cell count, preparate metabolic peller lower For pain, which is usually done during a doctor or in the right person.

These tests can be abandoned when consultation is actually virtually, as these tests require physical appearance in health care feat. Telemedicine can serve as a barrier to complete them until they really need them.

Ganguli said, “These conclusions further assure policy makers that expanding telemedicine coverage can lead to less use and spending on many low-value tests.”