Advancing Understanding of Telehealth Inequities Through HPHCI’s WIFI Study

Overview:

As part of a study conducted in partnership with the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute (HPHCI), MHQP interviewed patients, providers and community leaders to better understand potential socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic inequities in telehealth usage in Massachusetts since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews explored topics such as insurance coverage of telehealth, access to telehealth, and barriers to receiving telehealth visits. MHQP and HPHCI will jointly analyze the qualitative data and draft a report summarizing key findings and recommendations.

The study was funded by the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans (MAHP).

Why This Work Matters:

The pandemic has exposed and exacerbated long-standing inequities in our healthcare system. Findings will give insight into what people think about telehealth, how they have experienced telehealth, why people underuse telehealth, and what can be done to make telehealth more accessible and useful to all patients.