Telehealth Initiative Aims to Support Virtual Care for Older Adults

In pursuit of age-inclusive healthcare, the West Health Institute, the Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center at UVA Health, and the UVA Health geriatrics section are working to launch a telehealth initiative focused on older patients.

Known as the Center of Excellence for Telehealth and Aging, this initiative will provide guides and toolkits to assist providers in treating older patients virtually.

A major reason for the initiative's launch is the rapid uptake of telehealth among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a press release, Laurie Archbald-Pannone, MD, a UVA Health geriatrician who serves as medical director for the center, noted a significant increase in telehealth use among Medicare beneficiaries. Prior to the public health emergency, about 13,000 enrolled in Medicare participated in weekly telehealth visits. In April 2020, there were 1.7 million weekly visits.

The Center of Excellence for Telehealth and Aging aims to keep pace with the evolution of telehealth and maintain virtual access to care for aging patients.

“While telehealth utilization rates have declined below the levels seen early in the pandemic, the two-year trends of telehealth use among Medicare beneficiaries continue to be higher than pre-pandemic levels,” said Archbald-Pannone in the press release. “When done well, telehealth can increase access to care, allowing patients to connect directly with their care team to discuss urgent or chronic issues. When not done well, telehealth can increase barriers to care and further limit access, especially in rural communities and communities with vulnerable access to care.”

Through this center, researchers also established three principles that are critical for age-inclusive telehealth: equity and access, centering care around patients, and maintaining integration and coordination.

These principles emphasize the idea that patients of various demographics should have equal access to reliable care, the preferences of older adults should be considered when making decisions around telehealth access, and health systems should direct attention to providing the necessary support to older adults and maintaining communication.

The center will provide a collection of toolkits, guides, and research reports to help healthcare provider organizations implement telehealth services for older adults. It will also offer experts who can answer questions about age-inclusive telehealth.

Archbald-Pannone also provided a set of steps for older adults to experience optimal benefits from telehealth visits. These include requesting accommodations as needed, ensuring a high-quality internet connection, reviewing instructions before a visit, and finding a good location for a visit. 

Previous research has indicated that telehealth can be employed to effectively treat older populations.

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in October 2022 found that although patients over 65 preferred in-person care, many experienced satisfaction with telehealth during the pandemic.

Researchers reached this conclusion after providing 278 patients over 65 with a satisfaction questionnaire. Of these 278 patients, 208 completed the survey, all of whom had participated in a phone-only or video-based primary care visit since March 2020.

Although 39.5 percent of the study population felt telehealth was not as integral as in-person care, the median patient satisfaction score was six on a seven-point scale. Many patients also indicated they would like telehealth to remain a care delivery option.