Telemedicine Use and Cardiology Service Utilization in the Post-COVID-19 Era

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This retrospective cohort study included 5735 adults referred for cardiology care in Kaiser Permanente Northern California from June 2020 through May 2022.
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Telemedicine was used for 4064 patients (70.9%), including 2403 with suspected atrial fibrillation, 1101 with suspected coronary artery disease, and 560 with suspected heart failure.
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After covariate adjustment, telemedicine was associated with lower odds of a repeat cardiology visit within 90 days (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.62-0.95).
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For suspected coronary artery disease, telemedicine was associated with lower odds of an emergency department visit within 30 days (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.46-0.98).
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Telemedicine was not associated with 30-day hospitalization or time to cardiovascular diagnosis within 60 days; limitations included possible selection bias, residual confounding, and brief postpandem

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