Study: Patients less likely to complete diagnostic tests after telehealth visits

Patients using telehealth were less likely to complete diagnostic tests for colonoscopies, cardiac stress tests and dermatology referrals compared with patients attending traditional in-person appointments. Published last week in JAMA Health Network, the retrospective study of more than 4,000 patients at two primary care sites is the first to document lower diagnostic completion rates for telehealth. Completion rates for telehealth were 43%, compared with 58% for tests and referrals requested during in-person appointments. The authors call for system-level changes to improve test completion rates in-person and using telehealth, including automated tracking for outstanding tests within electronic medical records, telephone outreach to patients, automated tests and email reminders and using referral managers. (JAMA article, 11/15/23)