THE ROLE OF TELEHEALTH PAYMENT PARITY ON RECOMMENDED CARE AMONG WORKERS WITH HIGH-RISK FACTORS OF DEMENTIA

Abstract Objective This study examines the impact of telehealth payment parity, requiring equal payment rate for telehealth and in-person services, on the use of recommended care services and emergency department (E.D.) visits among insured workers with high-risk factors of dementia. Methods We conducted a causal inference design and adopted a two-way fixed-effect difference-in-differences approach using the Merative Commercial Claims and Encounters database from 2019 to 2021. We focused on insured workers with mental health disorders or cardiometabolic risks (CMRs), which are high-risk factors for dementia. Results Telehealth payment parity significantly increased psychotherapy visits by 0.2208 visits per quarter and tele-psychotherapy by 0.4107 visits per quarter. Additionally, it reduced E.D. visits among those with mental health disorders by 0.003 visits per quarter, a 25% relative decrease. However, the policy did not significantly enhance the uptake of preventive care counseling for CMRs. Conclusion Telehealth payment parity effectively boosted psychotherapy usage and reduced E.D. visits for mental health disorders. Public health Implications: Future policies and public health interventions should optimize the telehealth payment model to enhance preventive care uptake, especially for those with CMRs.