The increased availability of telemedicine was associated with improved access to primary care for Black patients in 2020, according to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania.
The study, which used administrative data from 60 primary care clinics in the Penn Medicine system, compared appointment completion rates for Black patients and non-Black patients in 2020 relative to 2019. During 2020, the study found, the significant gap between the two groups' appointment completion rates consistently narrowed.
The study was published online May 2 in Telemedicine and e-Health.
Prior to the pandemic-related shutdown of many physician practices in March 2020, the study said, Black patients completed 60%-63% of primary care appointments and non-Black patients completed 72%-73% of their appointments. At the end of 2020, the appointment completion rate for Blacks was approximately 68% and that for non-Blacks was still about 72%, lead study author Krisda H. Chaiyachati, MD, MPH, told Medscape Medical News.
As the study noted, Black patients traditionally have had less access to primary care than White patients. "[Black patients] are more likely to reside in areas with a low supply of primary care providers, encounter insurance barriers, spend more time traveling to medical appointments, and have work or family obligations that limit their ability to complete scheduled appointments," the study authors write.
