Massachusetts Payers to Take Part in COVID-19 Telehealth Study

A new project in Massachusetts aims to determine how telehealth can be used to address social and racial barriers to care during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Massachusetts Association of Health Plans (MAHP) unveiled the 18-month telehealth study this week, led by researchers from the Department of Population Medicine at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. The project looks to identify socioeconomic, racial and ethnic inequalities in telehealth use in the commonwealth and find ways to use connected health to bridge those gaps in care.

“While disparities in health care are not new, they have been profoundly exposed during this pandemic, where people of color and those living in low income communities have had worse outcomes than other populations,” MAHP President Lora Pellegrini said in a press release. “Our telehealth study seeks to analyze gaps in access to services for these populations and to offer recommendations to ensure equal access to telehealth services.”

The study takes aim at an underlying pain point in healthcare, and puts the focus on the opportunities for telemedicine and mHealth technology to improve access to care for underserved populations, including those affected by social determinants of health. Part of that challenge will lie in convincing both providers and patients to trust in the technology to deliver care.

“Telehealth has played a pivotal role in helping the commonwealth’s residents access health care during the pandemic, and it will continue to play an important role in the future for patients, particularly those with chronic conditions,” added David Seltz, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, a partner in the study. “It is imperative that we understand what barriers to utilization of telehealth services exist, especially for people of color, individuals with low income, and those with disabilities, so that we can work to eliminate disparities and ensure health equity across the board.”

A report due in July 2021 will examine telehealth use before and during the COVID-19 crisis, measuring differences by insurance, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status and identifying steps taken by payers to bridge those gaps. A final report is due in July 2022.

The study will analyze claims data from Medicare, Medicaid and commercial health plans, and build upon work being done by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office to address healthcare access and use rates.