Student Presenter(s): Dennis Lysov, Yelizabeta Skorokhod, and Shivani Rana
Faculty Mentor: Joerg Leheste
School/College: Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury

Due to the growing need during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC issued guidance for telehealth use in February 2020, followed by the 2021 Expanded Telehealth Access Act providing reimbursement eligibility to healthcare practitioners under Medicare. By analyzing this emerging platform, we aim to identify strategies for the optimization of telehealth utilization for improvements in primary care patient encounters. This analytical health-policy review investigates and interprets information published articles associated with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), National Library of Medicine (NLM, Pubmed), Library of Congress, and other vetted resources. We drew conclusions based on the current legislation regarding consequences and stakeholder positions in telehealth. Telemedicine provides opportunities for diagnosis, treatment, education, and rehabilitation, and allows the monitoring of patients with a variety of chronic diseases. Studies indicate that telemedicine intervention lowers hospitalization time and reduces mortality rates compared to standard outpatient care. It also reduces socioeconomic disparities regarding access to care and provides equal opportunities to patients from rural areas. Telemedicine emerges as a solution allowing access in a flexible, affordable, and value-based way.