The Impact of Increased Access to Telemedicine
利用双重差分法比较疫情封锁前后患者初级医疗就诊情况，发现远程医疗可及性增加使就诊次数略增但支出降低，处方减少、随访增多，且未发现诊断遗漏或不良后果。
Abstract We estimate the impact of increased access to telemedicine following widespread adoption during the March–April 2020 COVID-19 lockdown period. We focus on the post-lockdown period, which was characterized by near-complete reopening. Using a difference-in-differences framework, we compare primary care episodes before and after the lockdown between patients with high and low access to telemedicine, as defined by their primary care physician adoption. Our results show that access to telemedicine leads to slightly more primary care visits but lower spending. Visits involve fewer prescriptions and more follow-ups, but we find no evidence of missed diagnoses or adverse outcomes. Results suggest that telemedicine does not compromise care quality or raise costs.