Strengthening the Public Health Partnership and Telehealth Infrastructure to Reduce Health Care Disparities.
Popul Health Manag
; 25(6): 814-821, 2022 12.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2188126
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the urgency to focus on the essential value of public health systems (PHSs) in fostering health equity across the US health care delivery system. PHS integration and care coordination can be successfully achieved through health information technology systems. The objective of the study was to examine the association between PHS partnerships (PHSPs), telehealth postdischarge, and racial and ethnic disparities in health care. The analysis used 2017 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare 100% inpatient claims data, the Medicare Beneficiary Summary File, the American Hospital Association Annual Survey, and the American Community Survey. Results showed that compared with those treated in hospitals with neither PHSP nor telehealth postdischarge services, beneficiaries treated in hospitals with PHSP encountered significantly lower Medicare payment and inpatient and readmission rates. Black patients experienced significantly lower cost, inpatient visits, and readmission rates when treated in hospitals with PHSP and telehealth postdischarge services (coefficient = -0.051, P < 0.001; incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.982, P = 0.007; IRR = 0.891, P = 0.003). The results of the study demonstrated the importance of combining PHSP and telehealth postdischarge services to improve the efficiency of the health care delivery system and health equity. It is urgent to ensure that PHSs have adequate funding and telehealth infrastructure to support population health.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Telemedicine
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Aged
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Popul Health Manag
Journal subject:
Public Health
/
Health Services
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Pop.2022.0166
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS