Date of Conferral

6-19-2024

Date of Award

6-19-2024

Degree

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.)

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Matt Frederiksen-England

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate payment parity as a significant barrier in telehealth adoption by health services organizations (HSOs) in the United States. Ambulatory services have been a preference for Medicaid and Medicare and private payers. However, telemedicine is a platform that presents massive potential in expanding access and quality of care, while boosting healthcare management by significant margins. This study was conducted to explore how reimbursement parity impacts HSO adoption of telehealth services. The micro-meso-macro analytical framework for understanding patient-reported outcomes was used as the theoretical foundation for the project. The research question sought to establish if there is a correlation between telehealth service adoption and HSOs’ reimbursement rate. This was a quantitative study using secondary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention database. The results showed a relationship between telehealth adoption and payment parity for each state was optimistic given the positive value of R. However, the value of R was significantly small. Changes in telehealth adoption explained around 4.2% of the variation in payment parity between states (0.042 x 100). Thus, model summary findings affirmed a positive correlation between the variables but with minor significance. Findings from the study present a way for states to bolster citizens’ healthcare needs by collaborating with HSOs in policymaking to spur technological advances in healthcare. The findings of this study have potential implications for positive social change by confirming the correlation between telehealth and state reimbursement parity, which could empower policymaking in HSOs, potentially improving and enhancing healthcare delivery.

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