State Recommends Broad Use of Telehealth

September 26, 2024

A report released September 23 by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), recommends continued support for the broad availability and use of telehealth as a tool to deliver healthcare services, including the continuation of audio-only telehealth services.  

The MMA has been a strong advocate for expanded telehealth services to increase Minnesotans’ access to care.  

“This report summarized what many of us have known— telehealth has increased access to care and our patients like it,” said MMA President Laurel Ries, MD. “It has become a service that continues to assist patients and one that insurers must continue to cover at parity.” 

The recommendation is part of MDH’s final report to the Minnesota Legislature on the impact of the 2021 Minnesota Telehealth Act on private sector health insurance. The report builds on a preliminary study of telehealth expansion and payment parity issued in June of 2023. 

“Minnesotans are accessing a variety of services in the digital space, including, increasingly, healthcare,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Brooke Cunningham, MD, PhD. “This study shows that telehealth offers a real choice that can be comparable to in-person care, especially for behavioral healthcare and chronic disease management. However, telehealth cannot replace in-person care in all situations. For telehealth to reach its full potential, further digital infrastructure investments are needed to address existing inequities. Lack of sufficient broadband in greater Minnesota and the cost of high-speed internet, both for rural and urban communities, create barriers to accessing healthcare via telehealth.” 

The report makes nine recommendations to support the availability and use of telehealth. These recommendations include support for reimbursing the same amount (known as payment parity) for audio-visual and audio-only (phone) telehealth services and the continued inclusion of audio-only care in the definition of telehealth. According to the study, audio-only telehealth fills an important gap in healthcare availability and access, particularly for people seeking behavioral healthcare, older Minnesotans, those with complex chronic conditions and those residing in areas with low broadband access. 

The report summarizes findings from two years of research and stakeholder engagement led by MDH to address questions from the Legislature about the impact of telehealth expansion and payment parity on healthcare access, quality and outcomes, satisfaction, costs and equity. 

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients and healthcare providers have increasingly found value in the convenience and flexibility of telehealth. MDH’s study of telehealth identified wide agreement among Minnesota providers, patients, health plans and public health professionals that telehealth expands access to care, makes getting care faster and easier, and reduces barriers for patients. 

The final report also concluded that telehealth expanded access to healthcare without appearing to compromise quality of care or patient satisfaction. Importantly, the report also concluded that the increased use of telehealth did not lead to an increase in healthcare spending.  

“Though telehealth use by Minnesotans has come down from the highs witnessed during the peak of the pandemic, our research shows that it has stabilized at a much higher level than before 2020,” study lead and MDH Health Economics Program Director of Health Services Research Pam Mink said. “In short, telehealth has cemented its place as a healthcare option, particularly in the treatment of mental and behavioral health. But it is just one tool in the care-delivery toolbox. In-person care must continue to be offered as an easily obtainable option for Minnesotans, and too many still find it challenging to find care that is geographically and financially accessible to them.” 

Most Minnesotans who used telehealth were satisfied with their experience, and both patients and providers appreciate the option of telehealth. However, preferences for telehealth versus in-person care varied, and the availability of in-person care is needed to ensure telehealth is one choice, but not the only choice. 

The increased access to healthcare offered by telehealth also has the potential to strengthen health equity, according to the study’s findings. Though it cannot solve systemic issues, telehealth could help to reduce some of the inequities in healthcare access that exacerbate health disparities.  

However, the study found that the gateways to telehealth itself are not equitable. This is especially true for people with limited digital access or digital literacy. Further investments in telecommunications technology, including broadband, and actions to help people build their knowledge, skills and comfort to use telehealth effectively are needed to improve and ensure equitable access to healthcare via telehealth. 

MDH’s final report on telehealth is available on the MDH Health Economics Program website at Minnesota Study of Telehealth Publications.