New research out of the University of Utah finds that Medicare beneficiaries are using virtual care for a wide range of health concerns, not just behavioral health issues. Telehealth may be seen as the answer to access issues for behavioral healthcare, but that’s not all it’s good for. A new study out of the University of Utah, with support from the University of Michigan and the Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research (CCMR), finds that nearly half of all telehealth visits across the country for Medicare patients is for something other than a behavioral health concern. The results stick a pin in the idea that telehealth isn’t just a niche solution to the behavioral health access crisis, and adds credence to the efforts of the American Telemedicine Association, Alliance for Connected Care and others that virtual care should be broadly embraced by the healthcare industry. That it’s being used so much by Medicare beneficiaries points to the importance of federal support, both in expanding opportunities for care providers to use telehealth and increasing reimbursements for them. “Navigating the insurance labyrinth of Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and supplemental plans is already a complicated task for any older adult,” Alexander Chaitoff, MD, assistant professor of internal medicine at University of Michigan and second author on the study, posted in the Annals of Internal Medicine, said in a press release. “Having more certainty on whether their telehealth care will be supported on a more permanent basis could be helpful, given how important it…
