Lack of reimbursement causes drop in telehealth use

A lack of Medicare reimbursement has led home health agencies to drop their telehealth programs since investing in them during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a National Institute on Aging study. In addition, some home health agencies found telehealth was too complex for elderly patients with dementia to use. The study of approximately 260 home health agencies, conducted by the University of California, Irvine, and several other universities, found 23% of home health agencies used telehealth in 2019, rising to 65% in 2021 and falling to 19% by 2024. The authors question whether home-based care programs can support telehealth at a time when hospitals are using patient monitoring and hospital-at-home programs to move more services to the home. (HealthLeaders Media article, 6/2/25)