Project Overview
Telehealth emerged as a critical tool in ensuring healthcare access, particularly for the underserved population. With the expansion of Medicare coverage for audio-only telehealth on March 6, 2020, state Medicaid programs swiftly followed suit. There is existing literature on the effectiveness of telehealth across programs and settings; however, there are limited studies evaluating the cost-effectiveness of telehealth interventions. Economic analyses of telehealth interventions are important since the main reasons programs of this nature are being implemented is as a means to: reduce costs for delivering health care, allowing for more efficient use of healthcare workforce, improving timeliness of care and increase access to care. We will conduct cost evaluations on telehealth services using claims and clinical assessment data requested from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Additionally, Mississippi and Louisiana offer a compelling context for comparison, given their contrasting Medicaid policies on telehealth post-pandemic, amidst similarities in population health status and shared cultural traits of the Deep South. Comparison analyses will be conducted among telehealth and non-telehealth services. We will identify demographic, programmatic, and COVID-19 related factors associated with the difference of cost and the utilization of telehealth. We will collaborate with Tulane University on the investigation of telehealth used in the Louisiana and Mississippi Medicaid programs