Telemedicine Visits For Medicare FFS Beneficiaries Associated With Less Low-Value Testing

Low-value tests are tests that offer patients little to no benefit and have potential for harm, for example, certain cancer screenings in older adults. Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries from 2019 through 2022 who received care from a health system with high telemedicine adoption had decreased use of seven of 20 low-value tests compared to testing for beneficiaries in health systems with low telemedicine adoption. For the remaining 13 low-value tests, there was no change in utilization. Total visits saw a slightly larger increase in those health systems with high telemedicine adoption than in those with . . .