On the demand for telemedicine: Evidence from the COVID‐19 pandemic
利用行政记录和双重差分法，研究发现COVID-19大流行及出行限制使远程医疗通话量增加230%，且需求在限制放松后仍较高，表明远程医疗是一种“体验品”，为政策制定者扩大医疗可及性提供了依据。
Telemedicine can expand access to health care at relatively low cost. Historically, however, demand for telemedicine has remained low. Using administrative records and a difference-in-differences methodology, we estimate the change in demand for telemedicine experienced after the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic and the imposition of mobility restrictions. We find that the number of telemedicine calls made during the pandemic increased by 230 percent compared to the pre-pandemic period. The effects were mostly driven by older individuals with preexisting conditions who used the service for internal medicine consultations. The demand for telemedicine remained relatively high even after mobility restrictions were relaxed, which is consistent with telemedicine being an "experience good." These results are a proof of concept for policy makers to use such relatively low-cost medical consultations, made possible by new technologies, to provide needed expansion of access to health care.