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Telecommunications

Advances in telecommunications have rapidly brought nations together to share in research, development, and cultural exchange. RAND research on telecommunications includes development of satellites, surveillance, and other new technologies, as well as related questions of standards, authority, and the rights to private data.

Multimedia

Pros and Cons of Telehealth

RAND senior policy researcher Lori Uscher-Pines presents the pros and cons of telehealth.

Mar 17, 2021
News Release

Growth of Telehealth During Pandemic Occurred Mostly in More Affluent and in Metropolitan Areas

Increases in the use of telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic among people with private insurance has occurred mostly among those who are more affluent and those who live in metropolitan areas.

Mar 15, 2021
Commentary

The Uncertain Future of Audio-Only Visits and Why We Need Them to Address Disparities

Audio-only health care visits have been instrumental in maintaining access to care during the pandemic. Despite this, coverage for audio-only visits is likely temporary. Devaluing and prematurely casting off a key telemedicine modality could mean the difference between a needed doctor visit and no visit at all.

Mar 12, 2021
Journal Article

What Drives Greater Assimilation of Telestroke in Emergency Departments?

Although many emergency departments (EDs) have telestroke capacity, it is unclear why some EDs consistently use telestroke and others do not. We compared the characteristics and practices of EDs with robust and low assimilation of telestroke.

Feb 10, 2021
Blog

Unemployment Insurance, Domestic Extremists, Housing Insecurity: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on what the pandemic has revealed about America's unemployment system, why stopping domestic extremism will be difficult, how housing insecurity may affect sleep, and more.

Feb 5, 2021
Journal Article

Telehealth Use Among Safety-Net Organizations in California During the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, visit volume at a sample of FQHCs declined modestly for primary care visits and remained stable for behavioral health visits because telehealth visits replaced in-person visits.

Feb 4, 2021
News Release

Nearly All Telehealth Appointments at Clinics for Lower-Income Americans Were Audio-Only, Raising Questions About Quality and Equity

Telehealth use has surged during the pandemic at clinics that serve lower-income Americans, which allowed the clinics to maintain access to care. But most visits have been audio-only, which may pose challenges if payers consider dropping reimbursement for such services after the pandemic.

Feb 2, 2021
Journal Article

Changes in Health Services Use Among Commercially Insured US Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study found that during the initial phase of the COVID-19 epidemic in March and April of 2020, patients significantly reduced use of preventive and elective care and increased use of telemedicine but not enough to offset reductions in in-person care.

Jan 26, 2021
Report

What Role Will Telehealth Play After COVID-19?

The use of telehealth services has increased during the pandemic. When policymakers evaluate telehealth policy going forward, they will need to consider whether telemedicine can improve care quality, reduce costs, increase access, or achieve some combination of these goals.

Jan 22, 2021
Blog

Political Violence, COVID-19 Vaccine Questions, Mental Health Care: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on why we need to brace for more political violence after the Capitol attack, COVID-19 vaccine questions and answers, how to reform the U.S. mental health system, and more.

Jan 15, 2021
News Release

Use of Telehealth Jumped as Pandemic Shutdown Began; Use Is Highest for Mental Health Services

Use of telehealth jumped sharply during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, with the approach being used more often for behavioral health services than for medical care.

Jan 11, 2021
Journal Article

The Transition to Telehealth During the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from a National Sample of Patients

As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person medical care, emergency regulatory changes were implemented to promote use of telehealth.

Jan 8, 2021
Commentary

Patients Log On to See Their Own Doctors During the Pandemic

Telehealth use has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Can this form of high-quality, low-cost care be maintained over the long term? As discussion of post-pandemic policies begins, lessons from patients' use of telehealth will provide valuable guidance.

Jan 7, 2021
Journal Article

Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder During COVID-19: Experiences of Clinicians Transitioning to Telemedicine

In the context of the pandemic, buprenorphine prescribers quickly transitioned to providing telemedicine visits in high volume; nonetheless, there are still many unknowns, including the quality and safety of widespread use of telemedicine for OUD treatment.

Jan 6, 2021
Journal Article

Reflections on the 7th International Jerusalem Conference on Health Policy in the Wake of the Covid-19 Outbreak

In 2019, a conference in Israel showcased new frontiers in technology in healthcare, highlighting research conducted in Israel as well as across the globe.

Dec 30, 2020
Commentary

Teleworking During the COVID-19 Pandemic Highlights Educational Inequity

The ability to telework is associated with both reduced risk of COVID-19 infection and with significantly lower risk of job loss. There are large disparities in who is able to telework by race and ethnicity—but even larger ones by educational attainment.

Dec 23, 2020
Journal Article

Impact of Project ECHO Models of Medical Tele-Education: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of ECHO and ECHO-like medical tele-education models of healthcare delivery in terms of improved provider- and patient-related outcomes.

Dec 18, 2020
Journal Article

Prevalence and Characteristics of Telehealth Utilization in the United States

This article measures the use of and willingness to use telehealth modalities across the U.S. population.

Dec 3, 2020
Multimedia

Mobile Technology: A Tool for Alleviating Homelessness

RAND senior behavioral scientist Sarah Hunter explains how policy could help improve the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness by providing increased access to mobile technology.

Nov 19, 2020
Journal Article

The Use of and Experiences With Telelactation Among Rural Breastfeeding Mothers: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

The objective of this study was to identify maternal characteristics associated with the demand for and use of telelactation and to describe visit characteristics.

Nov 17, 2020

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RAND Topic:
Telecommunications

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