Predictors of Telehealth Use After the Minnesota Telehealth Act: Analysis Using the Minnesota All Payer Claims Database
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Key Findings
- Telehealth use, particularly for behavioral health, expanded among commercially insured and Medicare Advantage (MA) patients after COVID-19 but remained high even after the pandemic subsided.
- Among commercially insured and MA patients, telehealth use was more common among high-risk patients and those with comorbidities.
- Use of audio-only telehealth was more common among older Minnesotans and those residing in nonmetropolitan areas, areas with low broadband access, or higher poverty areas.
- Living in a metropolitan area, an area with a high proportion of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color residents; having greater disease burden; and being younger were associated with a greater likelihood of using telehealth.
Beginning in March 2020, the Federal government and many State governments expanded coverage for telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Minnesota, the Minnesota Telehealth Act of 2021 codified the changes that had been temporarily instituted. The act prevents certain limits on coverage for telehealth services, increases accessibility of behavioral health services, includes audio-only visits in the definition of telehealth, and extends payment parity between audio-only visits and in-person services.
In collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Mathematica conducted a study on the impact of this telehealth expansion and payment parity using data from the Minnesota All Payer Claims Database and publicly available data sources. The findings from this study informed a report MDH delivered to the Minnesota State Legislature. The report included recommendations for the State, including to maintain payment parity for audio-only telehealth and in-person care and to retain audio-only telehealth in the State law definition of telehealth.
This journal article shares additional findings from the study on significant predictors of telehealth use in the wake of the implementation of the Minnesota Telehealth Act.
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