mHealth Intelligence (4/28, Melchionna) reports “a study published in JAMA Network Open found that telehealth appointments for acute conditions resulted in a higher likelihood of multiple follow-up visits than in-person appointments.” For instance, “the odds ratio of a follow-up encounter following” a virtual encounter for acute bronchitis “was 1.23 as compared to 1 for those who had an in-person visit.” Between 2019 and 2020, “the COVID-19 pandemic sharply increased the percentage of telehealth encounters as a proportion of all ambulatory encounters, from 0.6% in 2019 to 14.1% in 2020.”

Related Links:

— “Telehealth More Likely to Prompt Follow-up for Acute Conditions ” Mark Melchionna, mHealth Intelligence, April 28, 2022

According to HealthDay (4/28, Preidt), the success of depression treatment may be affected by “race, income, job status and education,” investigators concluded in a study that “looked at 665 patients who had equal access to depression treatment.” Following adjustment “for sex, age and treatment type after 12 weeks of antidepressant medication, the researchers found that non-white patients had 11.3% less improvement in their depression compared to white patients,” and “patients who were non-white and unemployed, didn’t have a college degree and had incomes in the bottom quarter had 26% less improvement than those who were white and had jobs, a degree and income in the highest quarter.” The findings were published online March 31 in the journal Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Race, Income Can Be Roadblocks to Recovery From Depression ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, April 28, 2022

Forbes (4/28, Gordon) says that according to a survey “from the COVID States Project, nearly half (49%) of respondents reported symptoms of depression, with 26% reporting moderate symptoms or worse.” The survey – conducted between March and April 2022 – found “rates of depression varied dramatically by age,” noting that “fully half of young adults aged 18 to 24 reported moderate or severe symptoms of depression and another 23% reported mild symptoms.” The survey also noted “gender and racial differences,” with rates of depression highest among women and “Hispanic respondents and respondents identified as ‘other race.’”

Related Links:

— “50% Of Young Adults Report Symptoms Of Depression, New Covid-19 Survey Shows “Deb Gordon, Forbes, April 28, 2022

Psychiatric News (4/28) reports, “The rate of suicide among women living in previously handgun-free homes increased substantially when a cohabitant acquired a handgun,” researchers concluded after conducting “an observational cohort study involving 9.5 million adult women (average age, 41.6 years) in California who did not own guns.” The findings were published online April 27 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Suicide Rate Among Women Increases When Gun Added to Home, Psychiatric News, April 28, 2022

The New York Times (4/28, Abelson) reports, “Every year, tens of thousands of people enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans are denied necessary care that should be covered under the program, federal investigators concluded in a report published on Thursday.” The investigators, from HHS’ Office of the Inspector General, “urged Medicare officials to strengthen oversight of these private insurance plans, which provide benefits to 28 million older Americans, and called for increased enforcement against plans with a pattern of inappropriate denials.” AMA President-Elect Jack Resneck Jr., M.D., “said the plans’ denials had become widespread.” The AMA “has been aggressively lobbying lawmakers to impose stricter rules.”

Related Links:

— “Medicare Advantage Plans Often Deny Needed Care, Federal Report Finds “Reed Abelson, The New York Times, April 28, 2022