# Predictors of telehealth use after the Minnesota Telehealth Act: analysis using the Minnesota All Payer Claims Database

## TL;DR

This study examines factors influencing telehealth use in Minnesota after pandemic-era policy changes, finding that location, demographics, and health status play key roles.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific predictors of telehealth adoption among commercially insured and Medicare Advantage patients in Minnesota.

## Key findings

- 30.4% of commercially insured and 24.4% of Medicare Advantage patients used telehealth in 2022.
- Younger patients in metropolitan areas and high-risk patients with depression used telehealth at similar rates.
- Limited broadband access reduced telehealth use likelihood.

## Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government and many state governments instituted expanded coverage for telehealth (TH) services and since have maintained it. Using data from the Minnesota All Payer Claims Database and publicly available data sources, we examined TH use among commercially insured and Medicare Advantage (MA) patients in Minnesota. In 2022, 30.4% of commercially insured patients and 24.4% of MA patients used TH services. Living in a metropolitan area, an area with a high proportion of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color residents, having greater disease burden, and being younger were associated with a greater likelihood of using TH. Living in an area with limited broadband access reduced the likelihood of TH use. Two patient subgroups more likely to use TH—younger patients in metropolitan areas and high-risk patients with depression—received a similar proportion of ambulatory visits via TH.