Differences in Utilization of Nonvideo Telemedicine Visits for Dermatologic Concerns in Underserved Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background:

Usage of telemedicine for virtual dermatology care during the COVID-19 pandemic on a national scale is poorly characterized, particularly for nonvideo encounters.

Objective:

We sought to compare utilization of telephone and asynchronous virtual care for dermatologic concerns 3 months before (December 2019–February 2020) and during the pandemic (March–May 2020) across patient populations.

Methods:

A retrospective study was performed using a national claims database with >280 million patients within the COVID-19 Research Database to identify monthly telephone and asynchronous virtual visits by diagnosis, age, income, and patient race/ethnicity.

Results:

Although overall visits for dermatologic concerns decreased by 27.2% during the pandemic, telephone and asynchronous visits increased significantly. Patients most likely to use telephone visits during the pandemic were of older age (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.043, p < 0.001), African American race (RRR = 2.03, p < 0.001), and household income <$29,000 (RRR = 1.51, p < 0.001).

Limitations:

Racial and ethnic data were available for 39.04% of patients and income data for 38.1% of patients.

Conclusions:

Underserved populations including African Americans, elderly, and low-income patients were more likely to utilize telephone formats during the pandemic. Further studies are needed to determine the reasons for these observed differences and whether there is differential quality between nonvideo and video telemedicine encounters to ensure that all patients are given equal access to the highest quality of virtual care.