Paper Type
Short
Paper Number
PACIS2026-2042
Description
In 2022, there were 155.4 million hospital Emergency Department (ED) visits in the US. ED performance is critical to care delivery. However, they are part of a hospital system that includes inpatient, outpatient and surgical services, intensive care units, etc., which interact with the ED and affect its performance. Hospitals have been at the forefront of Telehealth adoption. We are therefore examine the impact of Telehealth adoption by hospitals on ED performance. In this study we focus on one specific metric – ED throughput. Using annual data collected by American Hospital Association and (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, we build an econometric model linking relevant Telehealth modalities to ED throughput, while controlling for common hospital characteristics. Our results suggest that Telehealth has a statistically significant impact on ED throughput, but this effect is nuanced. The nuanced finding offers more targeted managerial guidance for adoption of Telehealth by hospitals.
Recommended Citation
Gopukumar, Deepika; Das, Sidhartha; Dutta, Amitava; and Menon, Nirup M., "Virtual Care, Real Impact: Telehealth's Effect on Emergency Department Performance" (2026). PACIS 2026 Proceedings. 25.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2026/ishealthcare/ishealthcare/25
Virtual Care, Real Impact: Telehealth's Effect on Emergency Department Performance
In 2022, there were 155.4 million hospital Emergency Department (ED) visits in the US. ED performance is critical to care delivery. However, they are part of a hospital system that includes inpatient, outpatient and surgical services, intensive care units, etc., which interact with the ED and affect its performance. Hospitals have been at the forefront of Telehealth adoption. We are therefore examine the impact of Telehealth adoption by hospitals on ED performance. In this study we focus on one specific metric – ED throughput. Using annual data collected by American Hospital Association and (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, we build an econometric model linking relevant Telehealth modalities to ED throughput, while controlling for common hospital characteristics. Our results suggest that Telehealth has a statistically significant impact on ED throughput, but this effect is nuanced. The nuanced finding offers more targeted managerial guidance for adoption of Telehealth by hospitals.
Comments
14-Healthcare