Wong and Co-authors Assess Care Quality by Telehealth Proportion in Veterans Health Administration Primary Care
Posted: 5/14/2026 (CSDE Research)
In a recent publication in JAMA Network Open, CSDE Affiliate Edwin Wong (Health Services) and co-authors examined whether the proportion of primary care delivered via telehealth was associated with differences in care quality among 744,599 veterans in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) between 2022 and 2023. Veterans with low or intermediate telehealth use had clinical and quality-of-care outcomes comparable to those receiving only in-person care across most measures, particularly cardiovascular and behavioral health measures. High telehealth users (those receiving 50% or more of their primary care remotely) had lower performance on outcomes that required or benefitted from in-person interaction, such as influenza vaccination, statin adherence, and depression screening. The findings support hybrid telehealth and in-person models while suggesting that high-proportion telehealth users may need additional resources to ensure quality care.