Primary care
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The article summarizes the current state of hypertension management via telehealth. Included is information about diagnosis and management of hypertension in general, the role of telehealth regarding hypertension management, a description of self-measurement blood pressure monitoring, billing and coding for hypertension management via telehealth, and a discussion of hypertension quality metrics.
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Telemedicine was underused and understudied until the COVID-19 pandemic, during which reduced regulations and increased payment parity facilitated a rapid increase in telemedicine consultation. Telemedicine literature to date suggests that it holds benefits for patients and health care providers, may result in outcomes not inferior to in-person care, and has cost-saving implications. Future research should investigate which conditions are best suited to assess and treat via telemedicine (including physical exam elements), what techniques improve telemedicine communication, how to help patients equitably access telemedicine, and how to best educate the future health care workforce.
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Urgent care as a distinct clinical care entity began in the 1970s to treat low-acuity conditions. Virtual urgent care (VUC) can be provided by the primary care physician (PCP) or home health system of the patient, and many commercial direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies have emerged to provide this service. ⋯ VUC has been proposed to improve equity and access to care, but early evidence is mixed. New utilization owing to convenience may lead to overall higher health care costs.
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As telehealth continues to evolve, there is a subsequent need to develop efficient and effective teaching models in this realm. Primary care is well positioned to teach telehealth because of the breadth of medical conditions treated. It is crucial that learners and medical educators are prepared for learning and educating in this growing paradigm. This article offers an organized approach to education in telehealth that includes preparation, observation, assessment, and feedback.