Telemedicine Growing at Rapid Pace in Minnesota; Different Uses for Metro and Rural Patients

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Jodi Boyne

Telemedicine grew at a rapid pace in Minnesota between 2010 and 2015 with a nearly seven-fold growth in visits jumping from 11,113 in 2010 to 86,238 visits in 2015, according to a new Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and University of Minnesota School of Public Health study highlighted in Health Affairs. 

In a first-of-its-kind study, health department and School of Public Health researchers joined together to analyze the Minnesota All Payer Claims Database to discover the patterns of telemedicine use in Minnesota. The research did not address the effectiveness of telemedicine, but it did find a rapid increase in its use. Tens of thousands of patients received medical care through virtual visits.

Though still a very small slice of Minnesota’s health care pie – less than 1 percent of patients used telemedicine – the research found that telemedicine evolved to serve somewhat different uses for metro-area and Greater Minnesota patients and for those with private or public insurance, such as Medicare, MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance.

Read more at MDH Study – Virtual Medical Visits