Does telemedicine technology affect prescribing quality in primary care? The case of antibiotics
利用澳大利亚医生和患者的关联行政数据，研究发现远程医疗使用更频繁的医生开出的抗生素更少，且处方质量未下降。
We study the impact of telemedicine technology on antibiotic prescription rates using linked administrative data from Australia on physicians and their patients. We classify physicians by their relative use of virtual consultations after the introduction of government-subsidised telemedicine services and compare their antibiotic prescribing rates before and after telemedicine services became available. We find that more intense telemedicine adopters prescribe less antibiotics while keeping prescribing quality unchanged. Our results are not explained by patient sorting, doctor shopping, or changes in the intensity of consultations.