The Growth And Impact Of Telemedicine Services:Evidence From The Minnesota All Payer Claims Database

Abstract

Telemedicine, the use of telecommunications technology to remotely diagnose and treat patients, has the potential to address provider shortages and improve access to care for patients, and lower health care costs and expenditures across public and private coverage populations. Recent federal and state legislation expanding coverage and increasing provider reimbursement for telemedicine services, combined with investments in telemedicine technologies by public and private entities, have led to expansions in the use of telemedicine services. However, work to date has focused on telemedicine use for a single insurer and has mostly estimated cross-sectional comparisons of health care use and outcomes between telemedicine users and non-users. This dissertation expands upon prior empirical research investigating telemedicine by characterizing the growth in different types of telemedicine services in Minnesota. By using the Minnesota All Payer Claims Database (MN APCD), I examine various covered populations, and investigate how insurance coverage expansions and state policies affected telemedicine use and their impacts on patient outcomes.