Proportion of telehealth prescriptions climbed across medications<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Overall prescription volumes for stimulant and antidepressant medications increased from 2019 to 2022, while prescription volume for opioids decreased, according to a study published online Sept. 13 in\u00a0JAMA Network Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Ashwini Nagappan, from University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues characterized in-person and telehealth prescribing patterns for stimulants, antidepressants, and opioids from 2019 to 2022. The analysis included quarterly medical and pharmacy claims from the Trilliant Health national all-payer claims database for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n The researchers found that during the study period, prescriptions filled for stimulants increased by 37.5 percent, with the proportion prescribed from a telehealth visit growing from 1.4 percent in 2019 to 38.1 percent in 2022. While in-person stimulant prescribing rebounded from the pandemic, it remained below the pre-public health emergency average of 97.6 percent. Antidepressant prescriptions increased 20.9 percent during the study, with telehealth\u00e2\u0080\u0099s share growing from 1.5 percent to 31.4 percent. Opioid prescriptions declined before quarter 2 of 2020 and continued to decrease by 17.2 percent overall. Most opioid prescriptions were in-person visits, with telehealth prescriptions reaching 24.1 percent in quarter 2 of 2020 and leveling off at 8.4 percent in 2022, an increase from 0 percent in 2019. Women had a higher rate of telehealth prescribing across all drug types. Rural telehealth prescriptions climbed, but their share of the overall telehealth market decreased over time.<\/p>\n “As telehealth policies continue to evolve post-public health emergency, balancing access to prescriptions with mitigating potential risks, such as misuse, is crucial,” the authors write. “Future research should compare telehealth-based and in-person prescribing appropriateness.”<\/p>\n