Factors Associated With Telemedicine Use by Cardiologists for Medicare Beneficiaries in 2022 to 2023: An Observational Study

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services created a waiver to reimburse telemedicine services. It is important to understand factors that facilitate incorporation of telemedicine into ongoing cardiovascular practice. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of telemedicine and office visits delivered by cardiologists between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023, for Medicare beneficiaries. We calculated the adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) of telemedicine visits, representing the proportion of a physician’s visits delivered by telemedicine, to identify factors associated with telemedicine use. RESULTS: There were 23334 physicians in our cohort; they were predominantly men (84.8%) and affiliated with a hospital (93.5%), and the majority were general cardiologists (66.1%). During 2022 and 2023, 3.4% of visits were delivered by telemedicine. In a regression model adjusted for beneficiary and provider characteristics, several physician-level factors were associated with increased telemedicine: female sex (aIRR, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.41–1.57]), electrophysiology specialty (aIRR, 1.57 [95% CI, 1.47–1.67] compared with general cardiology), and caring for a high proportion of beneficiaries living in areas of social vulnerability (quartile 3 aIRR, 1.22 [95% CI, 1.12–1.32]; quartile 4 aIRR, 1.27 [95% CI, 1.16–1.39]). Caring for more beneficiaries residing in a rural area (aIRR, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.66–0.76]) or the South (aIRR, 0.61 [95% CI, 0.55–0.66]) and for beneficiaries aged >85years (aIRR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.73–0.81] were associated with lower use of telemedicine). CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine is used relatively sparsely among cardiologists. Physician factors, including sex; specialty; and the vulnerability, rurality, and age of beneficiary panels, impact the degree to which telemedicine is a major part of clinical practice.