The impact of tele-critical care on rural-urban disparities among hospitalized critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic
Principal Investigator
Uchenna Ofoma, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
This project seeks to investigate the patterns and effects of patient-level utilization of telemedicine among hospitalized patients during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Aim 1: Evaluate the hospital and provider patterns of patient-level utilization of telemedicine among critically ill Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic period; Aim 2: Determine the effectiveness of patient-level utilization of TCC using quasi-experimental methods. The study’s findings will enhance our understanding of the effectiveness of telemedicine as a care delivery model and create knowledge for clinical leaders and policymakers working to improve outcomes and reduce disparities for critically ill patients.